A Decade Past
by phoenixquest
Summary: A heartbroken Jareth gets drunk on the tenth anniversary of Sarah beating his Labyrinth. More intoxicated than ever before, he decides it to be as good a time as any to confront the girl about her rejection. When he finds Sarah, however, all is not as he planned, and she appears to be in more danger than he ever expected.
1. Chapter 1

_This one is written for Miss creepykeyla, and I do hope it lives up to her expectations. If it doesn't I sincerely apologize for the disaster about to ensue ;) I took her prompt, started writing it, and it took on a life of its own and got entirely out of hand!_

Chapter 1

Ten years. Ten long years. Even for an eternal being, they had dragged by.

Jareth, King of the Goblins, was in misery. Heartbroken and lonely, the past decade had seen him more cantankerous and peevish than ever. The goblins had noticed, oh yes, and were generally quite keen to stay out of their King's way. It was therefore with great trepidation that the goblin Kerg approached His Majesty this evening when he was summoned.

"Kerg!" the king shouted, though the goblin was standing feet from him.

"Yes, your Majesty?" Kerg said, bowing and trying not to sound too nervous.

"Bring me the stores of the elf-made wine," Jareth commanded.

"All of it, sire?" Kerg said, his eyes widening.

"Of course all of it, what have I just said?" Jareth snapped, sneering at the goblin.

"Yes, sire, of course," Kerg said quickly. "Will you be enjoying it here in the throne room?"

"You will bring it to my rooms," Jareth said, eyes narrowed. "And be quick about it." With that, he turned on his heel and strode off down the hall to his own bedchamber, awaiting the arrival of the wine.

Four hours later, more than half the stock was gone. Jareth had been moodier than usual all day, and hoped partaking in the strong drink would be enough to chase away his darkness. Drinking usually worked to help him rid himself of the memories of that day, and he always needed it when another full year had passed– but of course, it was the tenth anniversary of the day the child had beaten him, had denied him, had rejected him completely. As such, it wasn't destined to be a good day, no matter the circumstances.

But this year…this year, Jareth thought with a sigh, opening another bottle of the elf-made wine. This year marked ten years. Ten entire years he had endured, lonely, depressed, and increasingly bad-tempered. One whole decade, and not once had she wanted even to see him again.

He knew she was well, of course. The damned dwarf and the others who visited her on occasion would have told him if something terrible had befallen the girl. Woman, now, he corrected himself. She would most certainly be a woman now. But though she called upon the other creatures, though she desired their company, not one time in ten years had she called upon _him_.

It simply wasn't fair, he thought, hitting the wall moodily when he realized the implication of what had just passed through his mind. But by the gods, it _wasn't_ fair, her past overuse of the phrase be damned. It wasn't fair that he had offered her his entire world, and she had been just as careless with the heart he held out to her as she had been with the life of her baby brother! At least the tiny wretch was safe at home now, Jareth thought with a sneer. He'd be older now, too, Jareth supposed. Not that it mattered.

He wondered briefly what the child might be like, now. He wondered if perhaps he had at least manage to teach the bratty Sarah Williams a lesson about how precious love was – at least the love of family, as she hadn't realized the sincerity of it during her time within his Labyrinth. He wondered what might have become of her, what she might have made of herself over the last ten years.

He could ask the dwarf, he knew. Or the excitable knight. Perish the thought. Hear endless tales of how well off she was, how much happier she was than himself, how much she enjoyed her time with her friends from the Underground? No, he would not dare ask them for such information.

But, he thought, sitting up as he drained the last of the current bottle of wine (for he had fallen to the bed without even realizing during his musings), he could ask _her_.

Of course he could. He could go see her himself. Demand answers. But would she give them? Naturally, she would. He was a king, after all, and she would not dare refuse him. Not _again_, anyway. Right?

Well, he could simply force the words he wanted to hear from her. He could use threats. Even violence. Even as he thought it, he knew it was impossible. Dear Sarah, terrible Sarah…he could not harm her. But there was still a chance…if he showed up…just maybe…

"Fine. I'll go," he said, the words echoing in his empty bedchamber. He did not know why he had spoken aloud, except perhaps to convince himself. Convinced he was, however, and that decided, he threw open his window, transformed into his owl, and took flight into the dark night.

Sarah was sitting at home, wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe, an ice pack held to her eye. He'd hit her again, before going off to the bar. It was a familiar routine, now. She was quite used to it.

Suddenly she heard a loud crash from the window across from her and screamed, jumping up and dropping the ice pack as she looked around. Surely it couldn't be him; he would've used the door, wouldn't he? Or was he trying to scare her? Terrified, she grabbed the poker for the fireplace and slowly moved toward the window, holding it at the ready. He wouldn't take her by surprise this time; she would be ready to defend herself, for a change.

Reaching the window, Sarah peered out into the rainy night. She saw nothing at first, but then a small twitch teased the corner of her eye and she glanced down.

A snowy white barn owl lay on the ground, its wings fluttering slightly as it tried to right itself.

"No," she whispered, lowering the fireplace poker in shock. It couldn't be _him_. Even as she thought it, she knew. Ten years ago to the night was the last time she'd seen this owl. There was no alternate explanation.

She tried to think what to do. She was no longer scared of him as she had been as a child, though she didn't particularly want to see him, either. Nevertheless, there he was, and a small part of her was a little worried he might be injured – that had been rather a loud crash. Taking a deep breath and making up her mind, she opened the window just as the owl righted itself, and it flew rather ungracefully inside, landing with a thump on the carpet. She shut the window and turned to stare; a moment later, the owl was a fully grown man, lying on her living room floor and clutching his blond head.

"Hello, Jareth," Sarah managed quietly, her voice slightly shaky.

To Jareth's shock, she didn't sound terribly surprised to see him.

"Are you alright?" she continued when he didn't say anything.

"I am fine," Jareth said, sounding annoyed. His head was absolutely pounding; he couldn't believe he'd been drunk enough he crashed into her blasted window.

"You're bleeding," Sarah answered, voice still quiet as she knelt next to him. He pulled his hand away from his forehead and saw to his even greater annoyance that she was correct. He'd hit the window hard enough to break the skin.

"Damn it," he hissed angrily, attempting to stand up but swaying slightly. She caught his elbow, steadying him, and a jolt went through him at her touch – he hadn't been this close to her in ten years, and hadn't felt her touch before.

"Here, sit down," Sarah offered, guiding him to the sofa with concern. "I'll…uh…be right back." She hurried out of the room and grabbed a glass of water and a paper towel, trying to get her thoughts together after the shock of him showing up. She walked back into the room, picking up the fallen ice pack and handing him the water.

"You don't seem very surprised," Jareth said as Sarah sat down next to him.

"I react well under pressure," Sarah said with a slight smile. She folded up the paper towel and pressed it to the small wound on his head. In truth, she was _quite _surprised, but she had learned to control herself very well. She had no idea why he was here, but she found she wasn't at all upset about it; if anything, she somehow felt _pleased _to see him again. It confused her, but so did many things these days. Perhaps she was simply happy to see a new face.

"Why are you being so kind?" Jareth asked. He didn't know what to make of her caring behavior; he had assumed she would be downright furious to see him again.

"I don't like seeing people hurt," Sarah said quietly. "Hold this here, apply pressure. It'll stop bleeding."

Jareth did as she asked and finally looked up at her properly. She looked worn out, as though she hadn't slept in several days, and a bruise covered one eye.

"Well, I must thank you, Sarah Williams," Jareth said, eyeing her. Inebriated as he was, he still appreciated her beauty, both of her body and her heart.

"Halloran," Sarah corrected, looking away from him.

"Pardon me?" Jareth said, not understanding.

"It's Sarah Halloran," she repeated. "Not Sarah Williams anymore."

"What do you mean?" Jareth asked, afraid of the answer.

"I'm married," Sarah replied. Her voice was slightly bitter.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You're…"

"Married, yeah," Sarah said. "Well, _you_ seem surprised."

Jareth did not know what to say. Whatever he had expected, this was absolutely not it. It felt like a punch straight to the gut to hear her say the word.

"To whom?" Jareth asked, his voice angry now.

"His name's Seth," Sarah said calmly. She wasn't rattled by his question or his attitude about it; she was so apathetic these days, not much shook her.

"When?" Jareth demanded. These were not the answers he'd planned to demand of her, but now they took a much higher priority.

"About a year," Sarah answered. Though she was trying, she still couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice, and Jareth noticed.

"Why so unhappy then?" he asked, a slight sneer to his voice. "Surely a newlywed such as yourself ought to be over the moon."

"Maybe if it were a happy relationship," Sarah answered, annoyed at his condescending tone. "It doesn't matter. I assume you've come here for a reason, haven't you?"

Jareth was staring at Sarah now, completely unsure how to proceed. It seemed downright wrong to demand the answers he wanted from her under the strange circumstances. He obviously should not have come at all. Except…was he imagining it, or did she seem almost _happy_ to have him there? Surely this should not be the case, not for a newly _married_ woman.

"What has happened to your eye?" Jareth asked suddenly. He didn't know what made him say it; he felt sure it was the wrong thing to ask.

"Nothing," Sarah replied quickly; it was so ingrained in her to give this answer, to pretend it wasn't anything, that she didn't even think about it anymore. "I fell down earlier." Jareth raised an eyebrow, and winced as the motion pained his head. "Are you alright? Can I get you something else?" Sarah asked, sounding concerned again.

"I'm fine, thank you," Jareth said, trying to keep his voice polite despite his annoyance. He was not a stupid man, however, and it didn't take much effort to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He was fairly sure he knew what had happened to her. "I've never seen anyone with a black eye and nothing else from falling down."

"Yes, well, I'm just a klutz that way, I guess," Sarah said, offering a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Why don't you just tell me why you're here?"

Jareth was unwilling to give up the subject so easily, but could see she was determined not to discuss it further. He wasn't sure what to say now, however. His head was pounding worse; he assumed it was the pain of crashing into the window mixed with having over-indulged in the elf-made wine.

"I simply wished to speak to you," Jareth said, hearing his voice slur slightly even as he tried to keep it smooth, mentally cursing himself.

"Okay then," Sarah said, sounding thoroughly confused now. "Um…maybe it'd be better when you're not drunk?"

"Who said I was drunk?" Jareth asked, affronted. Sarah gave a genuine laugh this time, actually amused.

"You crashed into my window, you could barely stand up, and you're slurring your words, Jareth," Sarah said. "It isn't rocket science."

It was the second time that evening she'd called him Jareth. He wasn't quite used to being addressed as such; most often it was "Your Majesty" or "Sire". Hearing his given name tumble from her laughing lips, however…

"Regardless," Jareth said, trying to straighten himself up to his proper stature, but failing as his head started pounding once more, "it doesn't matter if I am drunk or not. I came here to speak to you, and therefore you will give me answers."

Sarah raised her own eyebrow this time.

"Is that so?" she asked coolly. "Maybe if you want answers, you ought to ask nicely, instead of demanding them."

"I am a king," Jareth said, narrowing his eyes. "I can demand what I wish."

"And I can demand you get out of my house," Sarah said, thoroughly annoyed now. "I have enough with one drunken man treating me like I'm his own personal property to abuse as he sees fit; I certainly am not going to tolerate another one."

This gave Jareth pause. He softened immediately; did this man _regularly_ abuse her? What was going on in her life to have caused this? What had happened to his precious Sarah?

"Sarah…I am sorry," Jareth said softly, looking at her. "Please forgive my rudeness. I do not wish to abuse you in any way. I would, however, like to ask you a few questions."

Sarah was surprised; she hadn't expected him to apologize, and certainly not so quickly. Whatever he wanted must be important.

"Oh. Well…okay," she said hesitantly. She was quite rattled by this impromptu meeting. Clearly he had drunk dialed her, with the exception of not using the phone and merely showing up at her house instead. Which reminded her… "I have one for you first. How did you know where I live?"

"I have ways of knowing these things, if I wish to," Jareth replied.

"Have you been watching me?" Sarah demanded.

"No," he answered, quite honestly. "I am…drawn to you, I believe is a simple way of explaining it. That is all."

"Okay," Sarah said. She couldn't help believing him. She reached over to pull the paper towel from his forehead, to see if it had stopped bleeding, and brushed his hand with her own. She felt a jolt run through her as she touched his bare skin, and realized it was the first time she'd even seen him without his gloves. "Sorry," she said quietly, unsure what she was apologizing for. For the electricity she'd felt? For bumping him?

"It's fine," Jareth said, staring at her intently still. He let her remove the paper towel.

"I think it's stopped bleeding," Sarah said, examining his head. "Here," she added, handing him the ice pack she'd been using earlier.

"Thank you," Jareth said. He placed it on his head and it eased the throbbing slightly.

"So…you have questions," Sarah prompted, settling back into the sofa. She knew she didn't have to worry about Seth; he never came home on weekend nights. She wouldn't see him until late the next morning.

"I do," Jareth said. He figured perhaps he'd begin with the simplest of them, considering the complicated nature of the rest of the evening so far. Drunk or not, he wanted his answers. He took another drink of the water she'd given him, hoping to help clear his head. "The first thing I would like to know is, what do you do for a living?"

Sarah snorted. What an odd question. "I'm a housewife, now," Sarah said, rolling her eyes.

"A housewife?" Jareth repeated in surprise. "You have no occupation?"

"I was supposed to," Sarah sighed, not sure why she was telling him this, but it was somehow incredibly easy to talk to him. "But it…uh…didn't work out."

"What do you mean?" Jareth asked intently. Sarah took a deep breath. Easy to talk to he may be, but she didn't want to waste time on this.

"Look, Jareth," she said bluntly. "You're not here to hear my life story. You're not interested in hearing it, and frankly, I'm not interested in telling it. Just ask me the questions you want to ask and be done with it, will you? It's already been a rough night."

Jareth was taken aback.

"I think I need more wine," he nearly groaned. "This isn't going at all how I wanted."

"Well, there isn't any in the house, so you'll just have to go on back to your castle to get it," Sarah said. She knew she was being rude, but as much as that little part of her was pleased to see Jareth, she knew it couldn't mean anything good that he was here and she simply wanted to get it over with. He seemed like he was going to be alright, albeit with a throbbing headache, but she didn't feel like discussing her ridiculous life with her old villain, however kind he may be acting at the moment.

"Sarah, please," Jareth said, and his voice was soft, not demanding at all now. He nearly reached for her, but knew this would be a mistake. He was angry with her, he was sad for her, he missed her; his mind was a conflicting mass of emotion, and it was enraging and difficult. If she would only talk to him, maybe he could sort it out. If she'd only let him help her, maybe it wouldn't be so confusing, and maybe he could stop feeling angry one second and powerless to help the struggling girl in front of him the next.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said softly. "I don't mean to be rude."

"It's fine," Jareth said. "But you should know…I do quite want to hear your life story. I want to know what you've been up to. I want to know everything about you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Why?" Sarah asked, after a pause. Jareth hadn't expected this question, and was thrown off.

"Well," he said, pausing for time. "I…suppose I'm curious," he said, hesitatingly. "I haven't spoken to you in ten years."

"To the day," Sarah said, somewhat reminiscently.

"You've spoken to my subjects," Jareth said, and Sarah detected a note of hurt in his voice. "You've spoken to the dwarf. The knight. The furry beast. You never wanted to speak to me."

"We were enemies," Sarah reminded him.

"Only because that's the way you wanted it," Jareth reminded her. "I offered you a chance to change it."

"Yeah, at the cost of my brother," Sarah snorted. "Like I was going to take that."

"You do not understand what you speak of," Jareth said angrily, letting his quick temper get the best of him.

"Like hell I don't," Sarah snapped. "You think I was going to listen to you trying to pull me away from my task again? Come on, Jareth, you've got be smarter than that."

"Excuse me?!" Jareth demanded indignantly. _Calm down_, he reminded himself. _You're here for answers, not to accuse her and make her angry. Get your answers, and then you can be angry with her_. He took a deep breath. "I apologize. I wanted to ask – how is young Toby?"

"Hell if I know," Sarah said, and he could hear the pain in her voice. "I haven't seen any of them in years."

"What?" Jareth asked. This kept getting worse. "Why not? What happened?"

"_Karen_," Sarah spat, "my stepmother, convinced my father that I was a bad influence on their precious little boy, with my ideas of magic and fairy lands and all that. They kicked me out when I turned 18. I haven't spoken to them since." There was silence for a moment.

"I am…unbelievably sorry," Jareth said quietly. He almost moved to touch her arm comfortingly, but held back, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, what's said is said, right?" Sarah asked mockingly. She was already very tired of this conversation and didn't want it to progress further. No one knew of the past seven years of her life, no one at all, and she wasn't keen on Jareth being the first one to hear it.

"You have a good memory," Jareth observed.

"It's hard to forget…some things," Sarah said, her voice softer now. "That's why Karen thought I was dangerous. She told me to grow up; magic isn't real, fairy stories are just that – stories."

"You knew it was real, though," Jareth said.

"I haven't had much reason to believe for a while," Sarah snorted in disgust. "Hard to believe magic is real when life is hell."

"Won't you tell me why your life is hell?" Jareth asked, a pleading note in his voice. "I truly wish to know. What has made the defiant young woman I knew ten years ago into this?"

"Fine, Jareth," Sarah spat. She sat up straighter. "You want to know what the hell has happened to me? Fine. If only because you'll be too hung over to remember any of it in the morning." She took a deep breath before starting. "When Karen kicked me out, she and my dad kept everything. I had nothing but the clothes on my back. I went to a counselor from school, to try and figure out if there was any way I could still go to college. Luckily, he helped me manage it. I got scholarships and all, and was well on my way to becoming an actress. I graduated. I had saved up a little money working through school, but I still couldn't afford a place to live. I found an agent and he agreed to take me on, even let me live with him while he helped me look for work. I started falling for him, and I was too stupid to realize it was only because he was all I had in the world. He proposed to me, and I said yes; it looked like I would be set for life – if my own husband was an agent, how much better could it get?" She laughed hollowly. "He was an agent alright. Seth Halloran, agent of con men. Once he snagged me, everything went downhill. I can't get a damn job to save my life, and without him, I have nothing; poor and homeless again, and a divorce to pay for. Not that I would have anywhere to go; he'd just find me. He saw to it that I don't have any friends. And if I tried to leave…when he did find me, I think a black eye would be the least of my worries."

Jareth stared at her, his mouth slightly open in surprise. He'd listened with rapt attention to every word, appalling as the words were. He wasn't sure, but he thought his head was hurting worse. He knew his heart was hurting.

"He beats you," Jareth said quietly after a long pause.

"Yes," Sarah bit out. "There. Did that answer all your questions?"

"No," Jareth said. Anger was boiling inside him, but none of it was now directed at the woman in front of him. This man, this Seth, had laid a hand on her in anger, had harmed her. Jareth was livid at the thought. "I must tell you, Sarah, I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. Just ask the rest of your questions so you can leave." She was disgusted with herself for telling him everything like that. She hated that she didn't want to believe in magic anymore, and yet here he was, living proof that she was wrong. She wanted him to go away, she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry like she did every time she thought of her life.

"Why didn't Hoghead tell me any of this?" Jareth demanded. He was aching to take her into his arms.

"What makes you think any of them know?" Sarah said, a sneer of her own crossing her face.

"I know they visited you," Jareth said. "I do monitor my kingdom, you know."

"Well, Your Majesty," she said derisively, "if you monitored it that closely, you'd have known I haven't seen them since I was kicked out of the house."

"Excuse me," Jareth bristled, his temper flaring up again. He knew he shouldn't, but after all, he was quite full of the strong elf-made wine, and wasn't as entirely in control of himself as he'd like to be. "But I think my subjects would have told me if something so drastic had happened."

"Not if they're terrified of you," Sarah said bluntly. "And why would they have told you anyway? Why would you want to know? Why _do_ you want to know? Shouldn't you have long forgotten me by now?"

"Have you forgotten me?" Jareth asked quietly. "My Labyrinth? My kingdom?"

"I wish I could," Sarah said bitterly.

"Why?" Jareth asked, surprised and a little hurt.

"Then I wouldn't have dreams about going back there. Getting away from this hell."

"Why did you reject me, Sarah?" Jareth blurted out. He hadn't meant to say it; though it was the one thing he wanted to know more than any other, he knew that now was not the time for it. However, it was out now, and he couldn't take the words back. He decided to plow on. "I offered you everything."

Sarah looked up into Jareth's eyes. "I might have been a selfish, spoiled little brat, but I wasn't selfish enough to trade my brother's life for my petty dreams."

"He was gone already, Sarah. You had reached him, hadn't you? He was safely at home. Yet still you rejected me."

"What?" Sarah asked, thoroughly distracted now. "What do you mean?"

"You had won the game, Sarah. You had beaten my Labyrinth," Jareth explained; it still pained him somewhat to admit he'd been beaten. "Our game was over. I was not merely offering you your dreams. I was offering you myself. You denied me. You barely even listened."

"I…what? Yourself? What the hell are you talking about, Jareth?" Sarah asked, her voice frantically angry now.

"You did not understand?" Jareth asked in mild surprise. That explained quite a bit, he thought. "What did you think was happening, then?"

"You were tempting me with the goddamned crystal one last time!" Sarah cried. "If I took it, I would've lost Toby forever!"

"I have already made myself quite clear," Jareth said angrily. "The boy was safe. If you hadn't been so determined to break my heart-"

"Break your _heart_?" Sarah demanded. "What the hell are you saying?"

"If you would just listen to me!" Jareth growled, wincing as his head throbbed painfully at the overexertion. He took a calming breath. "If you would simply listen to what I'm trying to say," he said, more calmly now.

"Look, I'm not in the mood to play your stupid mind games, or whatever they are, tonight. It's not a good time, alright? I've already had one hell of a night, and I don't need you taunting me and making it worse."

The alcohol and his natural temper, having gotten so much worse over the last decade, coursed through his veins, and he snarled in rage at her. She actually shrank back from him, looking frightened, causing him to come back into his senses immediately.

"Sarah," Jareth said, his tone pleading now. "Please, please listen to me. I'm not playing games with you. I'm not trying to taunt you. I don't want to make you afraid. I'm…I'm not going to hurt you," he added quietly, finally reaching a hand out to her and placing it gently on her arm.

"Isn't that what you wanted then, though?" Sarah asked quietly, a ghost of a smile on her face. "For me to fear you?"

"Only because I was selfish, too," Jareth said, a small smile on his own lips. "But I meant it. Fear me…love me…do as I say…and I would be your slave. I _will_ be your slave."

"Oh my god," Sarah whispered as it all clicked. She thought hard for a moment, and then, practically subconsciously, she recited, "But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl."

"And he had given her certain powers," Jareth finished, staring into Sarah's eyes. "Power to summon him, to help you, to give you what you desired. To break his heart."

"Jareth," Sarah said, her voice barely audible.

"Why did you deny me?" Jareth asked intently. "Why did you reject my offer of myself?"

"Jareth…I was fifteen," Sarah said, her eyes wide. "I was only fifteen. How could you have…how could _I_ have…I didn't know what it meant."

"You simply rejected me because you did not understand?" Jareth said, his head spinning now. He rather felt the room was spinning as well.

"I…yes," Sarah answered honestly. "I never knew…I had no idea it was going to…to break your heart."

"I don't know what to say," Jareth said faintly. Sarah noticed he looked quite pale in the firelight, even more so than he had before.

"Jareth…do you need to lie down?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes…yes, I think perhaps I should," Jareth said weakly. He'd never felt quite like this before, and it was unsettling. Sarah quickly got up off the sofa and helped Jareth lie down on it. She knelt next to him and held the ice pack to his head. He seemed very out of his depth.

"Have you ever had this much to drink before?" Sarah asked, almost laughing.

"No, I don't believe I have," Jareth answered dryly. "If only it weren't the tenth anniversary of something I've wanted to forget for a decade."

"You got drunk because you were so miserable tonight," Sarah said knowingly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Jareth said, a slight groan to his voice. He felt quite ill now.

"Uh…can I get you anything? More water? Coffee?" Sarah offered.

"Perhaps more water," Jareth agreed. Sarah's nurturing mode had kicked back in, and she hurried to refill his water glass, getting a cool, wet washcloth on her way back. She offered him the water which he sat up slightly to drink, handing it back to her after a moment and lying back down with another groan.

"I hate that you're feeling so badly," Sarah said softly, beginning to dab at his face gently with the cold cloth, knowing it would feel soothing. She noticed his hair was messed up and suddenly longed to run her fingers through it. "I wish I could do more."

"I am fine," Jareth said quickly. "Perhaps I shouldn't drink like that again."

"Perhaps," Sarah agreed with a small smile, continuing to dab the cloth over his face. He had startled her, made her angry, and confused the hell out of her in a very short space of time, and though she was still quite confused, she very much wanted to take care of him, to make him feel better.

"That feels nice," he said, his eyes closed. "Thank you."

"It's all I can think to do," Sarah said apologetically. "I don't have any aspirin to give you or anything."

"It's just right," Jareth assured her. Even his voice sounded ill. She'd been terribly drunk a few times before, and she knew it was no picnic, but there wasn't much to do but wait it out.

"I hope you got the answers you wanted, at least," Sarah said. "Though I wish you'd have just come and asked me before, instead of feeling like you had to get drunk first."

"Getting drunk came before the thought of coming here," Jareth groaned as his head throbbed again, nausea threatening to overcome him. "Dear gods, does this ever stop?" Sarah couldn't help herself; she giggled.

"Sorry," she apologized, "but it's sort of funny to think you've never been this intoxicated before. It'll stop eventually; it'll help if you get to sleep."

"I can't get home like this," Jareth protested, hating having to admit it but knowing it was true all the same.

"I know," Sarah said with a small smile. "That's okay. Seth doesn't come back home on weekend nights. He won't be back until late in the morning tomorrow. You can sleep here."

"I don't want to intrude," Jareth said. "I wouldn't want to make trouble for you…or upset you with my presence."

"You're fine," Sarah said soothingly, unable to stop herself from stroking a few strands of hair back from his forehead. He shuddered slightly at her touch. "Try to relax, okay? Just rest. When you're feeling better tomorrow, you can go back…to the Underground," she finished hesitantly. It was odd to think about it, she thought to herself. She hadn't allowed herself to consider the place for a long time, but here was living proof it existed, that it was all real. She found that somehow, it lit a little spark of hope inside her…somehow, having proof that magic still existed was enough to make her hope.

"We'll see," Jareth whispered. "Thank you," he added. "I apologize for coming to you while inebriated."

"That's okay," Sarah smiled. "I'm…sort of glad to see you." Jareth actually smiled at this, and she remembered how deliciously beautiful that smile was. A few minutes later, he was snoring; he'd fallen asleep. She made a mental note to run to the corner store in the morning to get aspirin for him before remembering he was a magical being; she had no idea if he could take aspirin. Well, hopefully, she thought, he'd be able to tell her what he needed in the morning. Just before she walked upstairs, she placed a trash can by the side of the sofa for him…just in case he'd need it.

She felt somehow lighter as she went up to bed. Seeing him, bringing back those memories of a slightly happier time…her life no longer felt empty, meaningless, black. She didn't know how long that would last, but while it was here, she would take it. She crawled into bed and fell asleep, dreaming of Jareth once more. This time, though, she didn't mind very much.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sarah woke early the next morning, anxious to check on Jareth. She was half afraid she'd perhaps imagined the previous night, and he wouldn't be there at all. Sure enough, though, as soon as she reached the living room, he was sprawled over the sofa, half of him hanging off it, looking troubled in his sleep. The sight of him there made her smile slightly – at least it hadn't been a dream. She still didn't know why, but she definitely felt lighter than she had in ages; it was like a weight had lifted from her after meeting with him the night before.

She wasn't sure if she ought to wake him up and ask him if she could get him anything, or if she should simply leave him there and let him rest. Knowing how it felt when she was hung over, she decided to let him sleep, and stay nearby in case he woke up and needed something. She was just finishing a pot of coffee when the front door flew open, and she gasped in shock.

"Seth?" Sarah asked timidly, walking into the hall. It was much too early for him to be home. And Jareth was still on the sofa.

"What, bitch?" Seth asked angrily, pushing past her into the kitchen.

"Uh…what are you doing home? You're not usually home so early."

"So I came back earlier than usual. Do you have a problem with that?" he asked threateningly. "What the hell has you looking so goddamned happy, anyway?"

"N…nothing," Sarah stuttered. "Sorry. I uh…I made coffee, do you want some?"

"No shit," Seth said, rolling his eyes. "Hurry it up."

"Of course," Sarah said meekly. She didn't know what to do. She hoped that maybe he planned to leave soon, and wouldn't look in the living room, because she didn't have any other feasible plan. She handed Seth his coffee.

"Tastes like shit," Seth sneered, putting it back down on the table. "God, woman, you can't get anything right."

"I'm sorry, Seth," Sarah apologized quickly. "Do you want me to redo it?"

"Fuck no," Seth said. "I'll just get a damn shower."

"Okay," Sarah said, nearly sighing in relief. If he went in to get a shower, she could wake Jareth and get him out of there.

"The fuck are you so happy about?" Seth demanded again. "You're practically goddamned smiling."

"Nothing, Seth, I'm sorry," Sarah said. "Just…go on and get your shower."

"Fine. But you'd better be naked on the bed when I get out."

"Of course, Seth," Sarah said, not meeting his eyes. She absolutely loathed having sex with him. Being raped by him, more like. Every weekend he did it multiple times, and every time she ended up feeling drained beyond comprehension. But she had no choice…if she didn't comply, he'd just hit her until she did. It was easier this way.

Seth got up from the table and headed into the hall, but rather than going toward the stairs, he headed to the living room instead.

"No, wait!" Sarah cried in desperation as she ran after him, not sure how she might explain herself.

"Who the hell is this?" Seth yelled, enraged, upon seeing Jareth on the sofa. Sarah saw he'd turned over so his face was buried in the back cushions now.

"He's just a friend, he had a bad night," Sarah explained quickly, hoping Seth would calm down. "He didn't have anywhere to go, so I let him sleep it off here."

"Are you fucking kidding me, woman?" Seth said angrily, turning to Sarah. "I know you don't have any goddamn friends. You've been cheating on me?"

"No, Seth, of course not!" Sarah said. "Please, he just needed somewhere to stay for a night. I'll get him out of here, I swear. I'm sorry!" she cried as Seth advanced on her. She instinctively put her arms up to shield herself, but he pinned her to the wall behind her and hit her anyway. He was much, much stronger than her, and she was completely unable to fight back.

"How fucking _dare_ you sleep with someone else," Seth spat in her face. "Everything I've fucking done for you, and it's all for this bullshit."

Tears of pain were streaming down Sarah's face now; his blows hurt worse than usual, he somehow felt stronger this morning.

"He's just a friend," Sarah sobbed. "Please, Seth, please let me go, I swear he's just a friend, nothing happened."

"You don't have any fucking friends! No one wants you!" Seth screamed.

"I know, I know, I hadn't seen him in years, it wasn't anything at all," Sarah cried. "Please stop," she begged as he smacked her across the face again. She was afraid all this would wake Jareth up, and she didn't want him to see any of this. No one needed to see it.

"Fuck you," Seth snarled. "You lying little bitch."

"I'm not lying, I'm not, I swear," Sarah sobbed. He hit her again and she felt blood trickling down from her lip this time.

Jareth was lying in a fitful sleep. His dreams had not been pleasant, he'd woken often feeling quite ill, and now he could almost hear Sarah crying. He wanted to get to her, to help her, but he didn't know what was going on. Finally he managed to open his eyes and attempt to orient himself. He was strongly nauseated and the second he sat up, his head swam. He looked around and saw a man pinning Sarah to the wall, and watched him strike her. Rage erupted in him, overpowering his ill feelings, and he stood up at once.

"Take your hands off her!" Jareth commanded.

"Sounds like your goddamned boyfriend woke up," Seth bit out, bringing his knee up into Sarah's stomach and causing her to cry out and double over in pain.

"I said take them off her!" Jareth yelled, crossing the room to tear the man away from Sarah himself, grabbing his collar and yanking him off his feet. Sarah fell to the floor, clutching her stomach where Seth had kneed her, crying from the pain of it all.

"Get the fuck off me, man, if you know what's good for you," Seth said, turning around and facing Jareth. His eyes widened in shock, as did Jareth's.

"Maldonek," Jareth hissed, his eyes narrowing. "I see you haven't changed."

"Fuck you, old man," Seth snarled, his eyes flashing, struggling against Jareth's hold on him. Strong as he was, Seth couldn't manage to break away from Jareth.

"You were imprisoned up here to change your disgusting behavior, not to enhance it and practice it on humans," Jareth spat. "I wish the Council had simply listened to me and executed you to begin with."

"Get the fuck over yourself, Jareth," Seth sneered back. "You haven't got power over me, not all alone. What the hell are you doing here anyway? Don't tell me you _were_ actually sleeping with the stupid human girl."

"I was not," Jareth said, eyes narrowed, growling in Seth's face. "And I will thank you to keep your insults to yourself."

"Get out of my house," Seth growled.

"With pleasure," Jareth said, flinging the man to the floor. He walked swiftly back to Sarah, kneeling next to her and taking her into his arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seth yelled, getting back to his feet. "Leave her!"

"Like hell," Jareth growled in response. "You won't use her. It won't work."

"It already has," Seth sneered. "I only need a little more from her. I've been going back to the Underground every weekend for a while now. As soon as I'm finished with her, I'll be able to return forever, and get out of this blasted form."

"Damn you!" Jareth yelled, cradling Sarah. "You will not take her. You will not finish it, you will not get to her again!"

"Why do you care?" Seth yelled back. "Why do you even give a damn? She's a pathetic little human!"

"Regardless of my feelings for her, I will not allow _you_ to return, Maldonek!" Jareth said imperiously. "The Council will be informed of this, and they will not be pleased. You will not succeed!"

"Give her to me!" Seth growled, eyes flashing dangerously. "Give her to me, Jareth, or so help me, your kingdom will be no more."

"I'd like to see you try," Jareth snarled. "We're finished. Come near her again and I will kill you myself, Council be damned. That is a promise, Maldonek." With one last dark look at the being in front of him, Jareth disappeared, bringing himself and Sarah to his castle.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I'm so sorry, Sarah," Jareth said in a whisper. He'd transported them to his throne room and swiftly carried her through the castle to his own chambers; he'd set up others for her after she was feeling better. The conflict over, Jareth's own ills were slowly returning, and his head pounded with every step he took. The magic required to travel between the worlds wasn't doing him any favors, either.

"What was going on?" Sarah asked, still sniffling but trying to get herself under control.

"I'll explain later. Are you alright?" he asked, his voice full of concern as he set her down on his own bed. Something tugged at his heart with the sight, but he pushed it away; this was not the time.

"Yeah," Sarah managed. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Jareth asked, incredulous. Her other eye was beginning to bruise, and a large red handprint covered a side of her face. Her lip had stopped bleeding, but barely.

"I've had worse," Sarah said. She sounded broken. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I'm sorry you got involved. You should have just gone back home last night. You didn't need to bring me here." Unbelievably after that experience, simply being back in the Labyrinth had filled her heart to bursting with pure joy. She couldn't explain it. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked, tearful again.

"What?" Jareth asked, confused. "I…I had to get you away from him. Where else would I take you?"

"Not here," Sarah said, almost moaning. "Why did it have to be here?"

"My apologies, Sarah, I did not wish to cause you more pain." He didn't understand why she seemed so upset about it. Surely his kingdom was not _that_ abhorrent? "Tell me where else I could take you."

"I don't know," Sarah said, another tear escaping her eye. "I don't have anywhere else to go. But I can't…I can't stand being here," she added in a near sob.

"Why? Was it so terrible?" Jareth said.

"Well, yes," Sarah snorted. "But…it was wonderful, too. Wonderful and magical…how can I leave it again?"

"Who said anything about leaving?" Jareth asked in confusion.

"I can't stay here," Sarah said, rolling her eyes.

"Why not?"

"I…I'm human," Sarah said as though it were obvious.

"That's irrelevant," Jareth insisted. "You are staying as long as you wish."

"Why?" Sarah asked. "Why shouldn't you just send me back home?"

"Sarah," Jareth said; his voice wobbled slightly. "You have no idea the danger you were in."

"Danger?" Sarah said, skeptical. "Seriously? It was just some jackass."

"Oh, my Sarah," Jareth said despairingly. "You don't understand."

"Then explain, will you?" she demanded. "I want some answers of my own here, alright? Last night was a mess, this morning was even worse, no one was ever supposed to see any of that. Now you've dragged me back to this horrible, wonderful, magical place, and all I can think about is leaving again before it breaks me when I have to."

"You are not leaving. You will not break; you never have to leave. Please, if nothing else, try to understand that. You must understand it."

"Jareth-"

"Please!" Jareth begged. He closed his eyes against the pain in his head and the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. "Please."

"Okay, whatever you say," Sarah said quickly, noticing his pain. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Are you serious?" Jareth asked, staring wide-eyed at her. "Sarah, you're the one who needs help right now."

"I told you, I'm fine," Sarah said. "This isn't that bad; it'll stop hurting soon, and I'll be fine. I know what a hangover is like, though…I know you're pretty miserable."

"I shall be fine," Jareth insisted. "Listen to me. I want you to believe that you are here for as long as you wish. I will explain everything. Right now, I'm going to have breakfast brought to us, and summon my healer. Please, Sarah, believe me."

"Okay," Sarah said shakily. She was still afraid to let herself feel the rush of joy too strongly, but she wanted to believe…for his sake. It seemed so important to him. "Okay," she repeated, more strongly. "Go on." Jareth immediately stood up and strode to his door, forcing down the nausea. He spoke with one of his goblins outside the door and then quickly returned to the bed.

"It will be taken care of at once," Jareth said. "I regret having brought all this on you at once. I hope once you understand, you'll forgive me."

"I'll try," Sarah said wryly. "Jareth…are you sure you're alright?"

"There are several things contributing to making me not alright at all at the moment," Jareth informed her. "However, I shall be fine."

"I hope you forgive me," Sarah said quietly. "You didn't sign up for any of this."

"It doesn't matter," Jareth said smoothly. "I chose to come see you. And it's a very good thing I did."

Just then the door opened and breakfast was brought to them, the healer following close behind. The goblins bearing breakfast left quickly while the healer placed her bag down next to the bed. She looked quite like Jareth, and Sarah was certain she was a fae as well.

"Hello," said the woman, with a friendly smile at Sarah. "I'm Veraina."

"Sarah," Sarah replied.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Veraina added to Jareth. "Are you in need of one of these again?" She held up a little potion flask that Jareth recognized. He'd never been so drunk before, but he had ended up with a hangover or two in the past.

"Thank you, Veraina," Jareth said, taking the flask and downing it. Sarah looked on curiously.

"What's that?"

"Just a mix of herbs to cure a hangover," Veraina explained.

"Wish I'd known that was a thing down here," Sarah snorted. "Handy."

"It is," Jareth agreed, handing the flask back to Veraina. His head was cleared and he felt his old self again. Well, mostly. He felt a good deal happier than his old self had, what with Sarah next to him again and all. And remembering what she'd said last night…she had willingly explained herself, and in his mind, it seemed as though everything was a misunderstanding…an easily fixed one at that. And perhaps…well, he'd just have to wait and see what happened, but he felt sure he wouldn't lose her again.

"Now," Veraina said, turning to Sarah. "I'm told you're injured."

"It's nothing," Sarah said quickly, the old excuses jumping out of her mouth at once. "I'm fine."

"Clearly, you are not fine," Veraina said with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile. "Quite as stubborn as the king, however, that's for sure."

"Excuse me," Jareth said with a dirty look at his healer.

"Begging your pardon, Majesty," Veraina laughed. "So, will you tell me what happened?"

"Maldonek," Jareth said darkly. A look of fear crossed Veraina's face.

"He's not back?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Not yet. But he hurt her."

"Excuse me," Sarah said impatiently. "Will someone _please_ explain who Maldonek is, and what the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain as soon as Veraina checks you over, while we have breakfast," Jareth said quickly.

"Fine," Sarah agreed. "But I'm telling you, I'm fine."

"Veraina," Jareth said, ignoring Sarah's last statement. "Is there anything you can do for her? It's mostly what you see on her face, I believe." Veraina examined Sarah's face, frowning.

"Well, I do have this cream," Veraina finally said, pulling a jar out of her bag. "It helps fade bruises. That's about it, though. It'll mostly have to heal on its own."

"Thank you," Sarah said, taking the jar from her. "Satisfied?" she added, looking at Jareth.

"Hardly," Jareth snorted, smirking slightly. "But it will do. Thank you, Veraina, you may go."

"Good day, Your Majesty," Veraina said with a smile. "Good day, Lady Sarah."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Lady Sarah?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow as Veraina left.

"It's a respectful term for our guest," Jareth explained. "She was being polite."

"Is she a fae, like you?"

"Ah…yes," Jareth said in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Just part of the fairy stories, I guess," Sarah shrugged. She reached for her breakfast tray and settled down with it. "So…where are we, exactly?"

"In my castle," Jareth said, confused.

"Obviously," Sarah smirked. "I meant where in it."

"Oh," Jareth said. "This is my bedchamber." Sarah stopped with a pastry halfway to her mouth.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't have another room set up at the moment," Jareth explained quickly, not wanting to frighten her. "It was the easiest place to bring you."

"Is that right," Sarah said, amused.

"It is," Jareth said, annoyed. "What, pray tell, do _you_ imagine inspired me to bring you here, then?"

"Well after your little confession last night, I'm not sure what to think," Sarah replied honestly.

"What confession was that?" Jareth asked warily.

"All that 'I will be your slave' stuff."

"I was drunk."

"You said it didn't matter that you were drunk."

"I lied."

Sarah laughed. "It's alright, you know."

"Is it?" Jareth asked, still unsure.

"You…you saved me," Sarah said, much more serious now. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jareth said, just as seriously. "I'm very sorry for what you've gone through."

"Like it's your fault," Sarah snorted, rolling her eyes.

"In a way, it actually is," Jareth sighed. He took another bite of his breakfast before continuing. "Your…Seth, was it?" Sarah nodded. "Isn't really Seth. He isn't actually even human, for that matter."

"Okay, wow," Sarah said, shaking her head. "This is just bizarre. What are you talking about?"

"He is a dragon, a cruel dragon, whose true name is Maldonek. He was imprisoned Aboveground as a human for one hundred years for his crimes."

"You have got to be kidding me," Sarah said in disbelief. "No way."

"I wish I were," Jareth said sadly. "Every word of it is true."

"But…how? What happened?"

"Maldonek was a young dragon, at least by the age of dragons. He was cruel, and wanted power. He killed for sport, he destroyed many parts of the Underground, and eventually he was brought before the High Council. The dragons argued that his youth was to blame, and if given time to grow older and wiser, he would be different. After the dragons' heartfelt appeal, the other members of the Council agreed with them."

"You didn't," Sarah said at once, knowing from his tone.

"Of course I didn't. Evil of that nature does not change with age, unless perhaps it grows stronger. I felt we should execute him before he could do any more damage. However, I was overruled. It was decided he would be imprisoned in human form…a terrible punishment for a dragon, who believe themselves to be far superior to any race, particularly humans. He would be stripped of his powers and live Aboveground for one hundred years."

"How long ago was this?" Sarah asked.

"Around forty years ago."

"But I heard him say he'd been coming back," Sarah protested. "How can he do that if he's stripped of his powers?"

"You," Jareth said with a sad sort of smile.

"How do I have anything to do with it?"

"Well, now we come to the part where it's entirely my fault…and the part where you were in grave danger. You see, he found out that if he used the power from a human, one who was connected to the magical world of the Underground, one who believed so strongly in it as you did, he could get his own powers back by draining them from that human. By draining your belief in magic, by taking your powers away from you…the powers that I had given you in the first place…he became stronger, and as he drained more of your powers, it became easier for him to travel to the Underground."

"He said…he only needed a little more from me," Sarah said, realization dawning on her. "So that's what kept happening when he had sex with me. That's why he was home early this morning." Jareth flinched when she mentioned having sex with him; the thought was abhorrent to him. "He wanted to finish taking my…power, whatever that means. So he could come back to the Underground completely."

"Yes," Jareth said heavily. "And it would have broken you."

"So that's why you had to bring me back here, and get me away from him. So he didn't destroy the Underground."

"And so that he didn't destroy _you_, Sarah."

"I'm hardly important in comparison."

"You are the most important," Jareth said severely.

"If you say so," Sarah rolled her eyes. "So…he almost has all his power back?"

"Yes," Jareth said, looking slightly worried. "The Council must be informed of this quickly. There are restrictions, at the moment. He can only return for a certain amount of time, and he undoubtedly exceeded that last night. We have a little time."

"How dangerous is this guy?" Sarah asked. "He said he'd get rid of your kingdom."

"He could," Jareth sighed. "He easily could, if given the proper chance. I, however, don't plan to give him that chance."

"Should I be worried?"

"Yes, you should be," Jareth said bluntly. "You should be very worried. Ultimately he is after you; you are the one who can fully restore his powers. He would destroy my kingdom to get to you, undoubtedly, but without his full strength, he cannot remain here indefinitely. You are the most important part of his plan; he needs you before anything else can succeed."

"I'm not sure how much I care for being so important," Sarah said, wrinkling her nose.

"I am sorry," Jareth said sincerely. "You have no idea how sorry."

"For what?" Sarah asked in confusion. "You said you wanted them to kill him, didn't you?"

"If I hadn't given you the powers I gave you, if I hadn't brought you here to begin with and given you such a strong belief in magic, he couldn't have used you this way."

"Oh, shut up, Jareth," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. Jareth looked affronted. "Do you know how much I've dreamed about this place, even though I didn't want to? Do you have any idea how much it means to me? To finally realize again that it's real, it's all completely real. _You're_ real."

"Sarah, you are in such danger-"

"I don't care!" Sarah cried. "I wanted it to be real. I needed it to be real. God, at least this explains the absolute _joy_ I felt coming back here. My heart feels like it's going to burst, Jareth, because I'm so happy to be here. I felt a tiny part of it last night, when I saw you again. But this…I never thought I'd be happy like this again."

"You're a strong believer," Jareth observed. "Truly, it should not have taken much for Maldonek to drain you completely. Yet there was still enough left in you to believe, to let it all be restored to you. It's quite shocking."

"Yeah, well, I'm a shocking person," Sarah retorted.

"Indeed," Jareth quietly agreed. They were silent for several minutes.

"Are you feeling better?" Sarah finally asked as she finished eating.

"Yes; that potion of Veraina's works quickly."

"I'm glad," Sarah said quietly. "And how's your head?"

"Perfectly fine," Jareth assured her. "It'll heal quickly. Speaking of which…" he grabbed the jar of cream Veraina had left for Sarah and opened it.

"I can do that," Sarah said quickly, attempting to take the jar from him. She wasn't used to other people taking care of her.

"Will you stop?" Jareth said, slightly amused. "You cared for me last night when you had every right to simply leave me in pain. Let me care for you."

"Okay," Sarah said quietly. Jareth gently rubbed the cream around her face, being careful to keep it out of her eyes. She winced a few times when he hit particularly tender spots.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Don't worry about it," Sarah said softly. Truthfully, his fingers felt divine on her. She hadn't felt such a gentle touch in years. She closed her eyes and leaned slightly into his hand. He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb across it gently, staring at her face. Bruises and all, she looked radiant, particularly with the happiness he saw spilling from her as though she couldn't help it. He was overwhelmed by a desire to kiss her, and wondered if he dared do it. Ten years since he'd seen her last, ten years he'd waited and wanted to. Surely that was punishment enough. He leaned in close to her, his face an inch from hers.

"Sarah," he whispered, his voice barely audible. Her eyes opened and her lips parted in surprise at seeing him so close.

"Jareth?" she asked, her own voice strangled and breathless.

"I missed you," Jareth said softly before closing his eyes and pressing his lips gently to her own. She stiffened for a moment but quickly relaxed into the kiss, his lips moving against her own tenderly, the sweetest kiss she'd ever had. After a moment he pulled away, afraid to open his eyes for fear it was somehow some kind of dream.

"Jareth," Sarah repeated, staring at him. He opened his eyes at her voice.

"Yes, my Sarah?" he whispered. He was terrified she was going to be angry, she was going to reject him again. He needn't have worried.

"I missed you, too," Sarah said, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him more deeply. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him, shocked at the feeling of truly having her in his arms, of her lips on his own. Delighted beyond description by her reaction to him, that she wanted him, too.

When she finally pulled away from him, they were both breathing hard, exhilarated. She pressed her forehead to his, staring into his eyes, running her fingers through his hair.

"Thank you, Jareth," Sarah said, her voice breaking slightly, and he saw tears sparkling in her eyes again.

"What's the matter, my Sarah?" Jareth asked softly, running a hand over her hair.

"You saved me…you saved me from Seth…well, Maldonek," she corrected. "You saved me from losing faith. You…you came back for me. You wanted me."

"I've wanted you for ten years, my Sarah," Jareth said softly. "I only regret that I didn't come find you sooner."

"You keep calling me that," Sarah said with a small smile.

"What?" Jareth asked in confusion.

"Your Sarah," she clarified.

"Does it bother you?" Jareth asked.

"No," Sarah said honestly. "It probably should. But it doesn't, at all."

"I can't help it," Jareth said. "You _are_ my Sarah, and I'm not letting you get away this time."

"That moved awfully fast, didn't it?" she giggled.

"Hardly," Jareth snorted. "Ten years is an eternity to have waited for you."

"Let's just see what happens, okay?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"Of course, my Sarah," Jareth grinned. He hadn't thought about the possessive title before, he'd used it without considering, but now that he was conscious of it, it felt delicious.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"So…now that I know what's going on…shouldn't we go to the Council and tell them about Seth? I mean, Maldonek?" Sarah inquired.

"Yes," Jareth sighed, pulling away from her. "They will need to know right away."

"One small problem," Sarah said with a slight laugh. "I'm still in my bathrobe."

"Ah," Jareth said, laughing as well. "No, that won't quite do for the High Council, will it? Don't worry. I've got something that will suit you." Several years ago in a fit of craziness, he'd had a dress made for her, in the hopes she might, somehow, one day return to wear it.

"You have something that would fit _me_?" Sarah asked, amused. "No offense, Your Majesty, but I don't think we're the same size."

"My doubtful little Sarah," Jareth chuckled, going over to his wardrobe, a little thrill going through him at her calling him 'Your Majesty'. He pulled out the deep blue dress with white trimmings and turned, offering it to her.

"I don't know whether to be in awe at how beautiful it is, or be a little freaked out that this was in with _your_ wardrobe," Sarah said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you dress this fancy often?"

"Ha ha," Jareth mocked. "Such the funny one. It's actually yours."

"Mine?" Sarah asked in confusion. "How's that?"

"Well, I had it made for you," Jareth said, slightly embarrassed.

"For me?" Sarah turned indignant. "So, exactly how long have you been planning to come and bring me here, then? You had me believing this was some spur of the moment, drunken decision, and here you've been planning this long enough to have a damn dress made, specifically for me? And yet you couldn't have just told me, oh no, you had to leave me there with _him_ while he was apparently trying to destroy me-"

"That's enough," Jareth said. His voice was quiet but dangerous, and his eyes were flashing in anger. Sarah stopped speaking immediately. "I had not been planning to ever see you again. I hoped, yes, but never did I plan on it, let alone planning on coming to find you. This dress was made on a whim, Sarah, in the hopes that you may return one day to wear it. It was to be a gift, if ever I should see you again. Never did I imagine the circumstances as they are; you know that I knew nothing of Maldonek and his treatment of you. I have done many things wrong, Sarah, but do not accuse me of being uncaring where you are concerned. Had I had any idea whatsoever that he was even near you, I would have come to get rid of him at once. Had you not been in trouble this morning, I would have tried to kill him immediately. Do _not_ accuse me of unfeelingly throwing you to the dragons, as it were." Sarah stood shocked and silent following this speech.

"I'm sorry, Jareth," Sarah said softly. "Really. I know you didn't leave me to him on purpose. I shouldn't have said that."

"Thank you for acknowledging it," Jareth said, softening. "I would never let harm come to you, were it in my power to stop it."

"Yeah, the trip through your Labyrinth was perfectly harmless," Sarah snorted, lightening the tension somewhat.

"The trip through my Labyrinth was dangerous, Sarah. I only have a certain amount of power myself, you know; I am bound by the rules of the land, as is any other creature. I told you, I begged you to turn back before it was too late."

"You had nothing to do with setting the Cleaners on me, then?" Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Well, you made me angry," Jareth said, allowing himself a small grin. "Perhaps I wanted to scare you a bit."

"And I see your temper hasn't improved much over the years," Sarah teased.

"I'm sure you will find my subjects happy to regale you with tales of just how much my temper deteriorated, actually," Jareth snorted. "But…another time. You must change."

"Yes," Sarah agreed. She held out her hands for the dress took it gently from him, admiring it further. "It really is gorgeous."

"It was meant for a gorgeous lady," Jareth said simply.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, looking up at him. He smiled at her.

"You're welcome. I shall leave so you can change."

"Thanks," Sarah said with a smile. After he went out the door, she slipped on the dress, and to her surprise found it fit her perfectly. She found a mirror in the corner and stood in front of it, making sure the dress draped properly. "Ugh," she said as she looked up higher. Her face looked ridiculous and her hair was an absolute mess. "Jareth?" she called, walking toward the door. He came back in a moment later.

"It fits," he said softly, staring at her after he shut the door. She looked beautiful in such a dress; perfectly suited to the Underground.

"Yes," Sarah smiled. "Thank you. But um…do you have a hairbrush or something? My hair's sort of a mess."

"You look beautiful," Jareth argued. "But…yes, I do. Here," he said, offering her one off the bureau. She ran it through her knotted hair and sighed at her reflection.

"Well, I suppose this'll have to do," she said, shaking her head. At least the dress was beautiful.

"What's the matter?" Jareth asked.

"I look like hell," Sarah said with a small smile. "Nothing to be done about it, really, but still."

"You look perfect," Jareth assured her. "Truly."

"Thank you," Sarah smiled. "I appreciate it. Um…one more thing…I don't actually have any shoes."

"Ah," Jareth said, frowning. "Did you have any when you came here?"

"I'm not wearing fuzzy slippers to the High Council," Sarah laughed.

"Of course not," Jareth grinned. "These will be them?" he asked, holding up the pair of fuzzy slippers next to the bed. Sarah nodded, and he quickly transformed them into a proper pair of shoes. Not fancy, but workable.

"Thank you," Sarah said, surprised.

"Of course," Jareth said. "They'll only last a day before they change back, but they'll do for now. Perhaps you'll excuse me while I put on something more proper, myself?" Jareth asked.

"Of course," Sarah said quickly, slipping the shoes on. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for, my Sarah," Jareth said. He took her hand and led her to the door, bringing her hand up to brush his lips against her knuckles softly before letting it fall. "I'll be right out."

"Okay," Sarah said, slightly breathless. He shut the door and she couldn't help grinning widely to herself, even though it hurt her face a little. He was being very romantic. Every kind thing he did increased her feeling of euphoria at being back here. She could only imagine it felt so amazing because so much of her belief had been drained from her, and was all rushing back at once. She had dreamed of what her life might have been like if she'd only said 'yes' to his request that day...if only he had meant it, if only it would have worked. She was very surprised to find he had truly meant it…and even more surprised to find that it was looking like a possibility now.

Not only that, she thought, feeling giddy, she had gotten away from Seth. She never imagined she'd have anywhere else to go; she assumed she was stuck with him for the rest of her miserable life. And now…well, now she felt that even if her life were to end tomorrow, she could be content with it.

And her friends…she wondered how they were. Had they given up on her when she had stopped calling them? Were they mad at her? Surely Jareth would help her find them again.

"Ready to go?" Jareth asked, opening the door. She turned to him and nodded. He held out his arm and she took it, grinning. "You look very happy."

"It's like I'm getting happier every minute I'm here," Sarah laughed. "It's amazing. So…how are we getting…wherever we're going?"

"I'll transport us," Jareth said.

"Oh," she said. She wondered at his ability to just transport wherever he'd like. "Well…what's this Council like?" Sarah asked, feeling slightly nervous as they walked through the castle. Jareth reached up and patted her hand reassuringly.

"There are eight of us," Jareth answered. "Three dragons, three elves, and two fae, including myself."

"You mean like…actual dragons?" Sarah asked even more nervously.

"Yes, my Sarah, actual dragons," Jareth grinned. "But do not be worried."

"Yeah, it's so easy not to worry, I just found out the man who's been abusing me for the past year was secretly a dragon, nothing to worry about there," Sarah said sarcastically.

"I know," Jareth said gently. "But you must remember, the dragons you will see today are the very ones who chose to imprison Maldonek as a human for his crimes. They do not harm innocent people, and they don't take kindly to those who do."

"They're still dragons," Sarah muttered.

"I promise that you will have nothing to worry about, my Sarah," Jareth assured her. "I would not be taking you there if I were even slightly worried about harm coming to you."

"I thought you said they didn't like humans or something, though?"

"They believe themselves to be superior, yes," Jareth allowed. "But they will be kind. You think yourself superior to a pet dog, do you not? Yet you treat it kindly."

"They think of me as some pet _dog_?" Sarah asked indignantly.

"Yes, they do," Jareth grinned. "As do the elves, and fae."

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Sarah said, stopping dead.

"In general, my dear Sarah, in general," Jareth soothed, a smirk still on his face, pulling her along again.

"So _you_ don't think of me as your little pet _dog_, then?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not," Jareth said in a dignified voice. "Particularly not after witnessing your power for myself."

"Power you gave me," Sarah snorted.

"No, that's not what I meant," Jareth said. "I can only give you the ability to handle magic. I cannot give you true _power_, power such as you displayed over me the night you beat my Labyrinth. That is all your own. Don't worry, my Sarah. I do not think you a lesser being than myself. I merely wanted to warn you of the attitude you may expect from my fellow beings. Do not let it bother you."

"Right," Sarah said as the reached the entrance of the castle.

"A few more things," Jareth said as they stopped. "First, let me do the talking. If you are directly asked a question, answer it to the best of your ability. Do not interrupt. Second, though I fully understand your hesitation toward the dragons, please do not let it influence you. They are not terrible creatures, and they won't take kindly to being judged harshly all at once. Third…try to smile," Jareth said, offering one of his own. "It makes you more beautiful." Sarah blushed this time, but did smile. "Fourth…this might take a while. So try to be patient."

"I will," Sarah agreed quickly to the last one. "I understand. I want it taken care of properly and if it takes a while to do it, then so be it." She paused. "Jareth?"

"Yes, my Sarah?"

"Do you think…I need to worry about Seth…Maldonek…while I'm here?"

"I don't believe you do, not today," Jareth said reassuringly. "I promise you, I will keep you safe to the best of my ability."

"Okay," Sarah said. She took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do this." Jareth smiled at her and quickly transported them away.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Welcome to the Hall of the High Council," Jareth said with a grin, escorting Sarah past the great golden doors of a huge hall. Sarah looked around, in awe at the sight.

"This is amazing," she whispered.

"It is," Jareth agreed. He stopped in front of another set of doors, next to a large sofa. "Here, sit down," he offered, and she did. "I'm going to leave you here for a moment. I need to summon the other members of the Council."

"Okay," Sarah said nervously. She wasn't sure how she felt being on her own in a strange place like this, where she knew she amounted to not much more than an animal. He gave her a smile and walked through the second set of doors, leaving Sarah to sit and stare around her.

The hall was beautiful, the design intricate. It was massive – though upon reflection, she decided it probably had to be, if the dragons came and went in here. Her head was filled with many questions, and she had no idea which one to ask even when Jareth came back.

"You look troubled, small one," a deep voice said, causing her to whip her head around. Her eyes widened and she screamed in surprise. Not ten feet from her was a large red and gold dragon, eyeing her curiously.

"I…I…I…"

"Relax," the deep voice said. "I won't harm you. My name is Vezzeryn, Elder Dragon of the High Council." His gold and red scales glistened in the sunlight streaming in the windows. They looked vaguely familiar, somehow.

"Sarah," Sarah squeaked. "Um…human."

"I know that you are human," the dragon said with a soft laugh. "What brings you to our Council, human Sarah?"

"Uh…Jareth," Sarah said, trying to control her shaking. "He's…uh…"

"Right here," Jareth said, stepping through the doors. "Hello, Vezzeryn."

"Jareth," the dragon said, nodding toward him. "Would you care to tell me why the human Sarah is here with you today?"

"I will, Vezzeryn, as soon as everyone has arrived," Jareth said politely.

"Alright," Vezzeryn said agreeably. "I will meet you inside." Vezzeryn lumbered through the doors Jareth had just exited, and Jareth sat next to Sarah on the sofa. He felt her shaking and grinned.

"Relax, my Sarah," he said quietly, placing a hand on her arm to calm her. She turned to him and he saw her face was quite pale beneath the bruises, her eyes wide.

"Relax?" she asked shakily. "Are you kidding me? A _dragon_ just _spoke_ to me."

"Quite kindly, I believe," Jareth smirked. "Honestly, Sarah. All you saw in the Labyrinth, and this frightens you?"

"There wasn't anything that big in the Labyrinth!" Sarah protested.

"Ah, Sarah," Jareth said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You are safe."

"Jareth…" Sarah said as something occurred to her. "Are you telling me…that's what Seth looked like?"

"Well, Maldonek was blue," Jareth said. "But essentially, yes." She shuddered violently at the thought. Though she'd only ever seen him as a human, knowing what he truly was, what he truly looked like, was quite frightening. "You're fine," he reassured her.

The rest of the Council arrived quickly, and Jareth introduced her informally to each member who came through. Finally as the last member arrived (the fae, Firona), Jareth stood.

"Stay here," he said to Sarah. "I'll go in and formally address the Council, then I'll come for you."

"Okay," Sarah said, sounding slightly shaky again. With each of the dragons that came past her, she relaxed slightly; they seemed safe enough. But standing up in front of them all was another story. A few minutes later, Jareth came back out and beckoned to her.

"Relax," he whispered as he led her inside. He let her sit on a chair near the wall, facing the members of the Council, as he went to stand in the center of the floor.

"Alright, Jareth," Vezzeryn spoke. "We are all now present. Please proceed."

"Members of the Council," Jareth began. "This morning I have discovered the dragon, Maldonek, living Aboveground in his human form."

"Er, yes," Firona said, cocking her eyebrow. "That is where he is supposed to be."

"Obviously," Jareth said with a small bow in Firona's direction. "However, I have found that contrary to the terms of his punishment, he is making trouble Aboveground, and has also found a way to return his power."

"Impossible," Al'denel (an elf) said, rolling his eyes. "He's been stripped of his power, there's no way for him to get it back in the world of humans."

"But there is, Al'denel," Jareth said gravely. "If he found a human with power that he could consume, a human with belief in our world."

"Your little human," Namir (a dragon) said, and Sarah heard a slight sneer in his voice.

"Yes," Jareth went on. "He has found her, and has been using her to return his powers. He has been returning here for I know not how long during the nights for the limited time he is allowed, without his full power."

"This is nonsense," Firona broke in. "He can't be returning here; no human could give him so much power."

"I ask you, dear Firona," Jareth said, a hard edge to his voice, "to look at this human, Sarah. Do you see the injuries she has sustained? Do you truly not believe Maldonek caused them?"

"Humans are always getting themselves hurt," Eraeth (another dragon) spoke up. "There is no proof whatsoever that Maldonek did this, and no proof that he is returning."

"With all due respect, Eraeth," Jareth said, frustrated now, "I have no reason to lie to you about this. Nor does Sarah."

"Jareth," Vezzeryn sighed gently, apparently trying to keep the peace. "We all know how much you disliked Maldonek. We know the outcome you wanted; you were outvoted. Can't you just leave him in peace where he is?"

"Vezzeryn," Jareth said hotly, "there is every chance he would have killed this woman if he had been allowed to continue. He confessed to me himself that he was very near his goal of returning to full power and the ability to remain Underground indefinitely!"

"We do not bother with the affairs of humans," snapped Glaedya (an elf). "They run their own lives."

"The only reason a human is involved is because of the sentence placed upon Maldonek by this very Council!" Jareth said, enraged. "You send him Aboveground and do not care for the lives of any humans he may harm? What is the sense of that?"

"Once again, I say there is no evidence that Maldonek has done anything wrong, besides your word, and seeing as you have a personal vendetta against him, I'm afraid your word doesn't count for very much," Eraeth bellowed. "I will have less of the dislike for dragons, if you please!"

"This does not have anything to do with how I feel about dragons, humans, fae, elves, or any other race Underground or Above!" Jareth shouted. "If you will not believe me, will you take the word of Sarah? She is, after all, the one he has been _abusing_!"

"Very well," sighed Vezzeryn. "Human Sarah, will you tell us what happened?"

Jareth motioned for her to come forward and she went to stand next to him. Though his eyes were still furious, he managed a small smile, hoping to be encouraging.

"Yes," Sarah said, facing the Council nervously. "Uh…well, I met him…his human name is Seth…several years ago. He convinced me to live with him, and we got married. He's been…" she broke off, looking at the ground; even now, she didn't want to admit it.

"Come on, Sarah," Jareth said gently. "You can tell them. It's okay." She took a deep breath.

"He's been abusing me for about a year, since we got married," Sarah said shakily. "He's been…draining me," she went on, knowing it sounded kind of dumb. "I mean…I don't really know how it works, and I didn't realize that's what was going on until Jareth explained this morning," she added quickly. "But um…I felt it and everything. I felt drained after he…after we…well, you get the idea," she finished, cheeks burning.

"Did you hear his confession this morning, then, human?" sneered Namir.

"Partly," Sarah said. "He had been, well, hitting me, and I wasn't really…paying that much attention."

"How did Jareth know of this, then?" Al'denel asked.

"He was there. He…he stopped Seth. Maldonek. From hurting me, I mean."

"What were you doing at the house of the human, then?" Eindar (another elf) asked.

"I don't believe that's relevant to the Council," Jareth said, eyes flashing.

"Ahhh," Firona laughed condescendingly. "Do you see? He's fallen in love with this little human," she said scathingly. "And he figured her injuries were a good way to get us to get rid of Maldonek while he was at it."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Firona," Jareth said dangerously. "Why would I bother to bring it up now, if I were just trying to get rid of Maldonek? I haven't said a word about it for forty years."

"You're pathetic, Jareth," Firona spat. "Falling for some pathetic little human, and trying to use her to your advantage. If I had the power to strip your title, I swear-"

"That will do, Firona," Vezzeryn said, his deep voice harsh. "It is none of our business what any of our number does with their heart, and I do agree with Jareth that this is not relevant to the matter at hand." Firona snorted angrily. "However, I do have one more question for you, human Sarah. Did you ever actually see this man as a dragon?"

"No," Sarah replied. "I didn't even know what was going on until this morning. I thought he was human the whole time."

"Then I ask you again, Jareth, where is any proof?"

"By the gods," Jareth cried in anger. "You know what he looks like, don't you? You know the form we forced him to assume when we sent him Aboveground. Would you not recognize him?"

"I'm sure that I would," Vezzeryn agreed.

"Then what makes you think I wouldn't?" Jareth spat. He was beyond anger now. "Do none of you realize what this means? If he has been taking this woman's power, _and he has_, and is on the verge of returning fully as he told me this morning, does no one realize the danger we are all in?"

"If it were true, then yes, we would be in grave danger," Al'denel said. "But Jareth, you're being ridiculous."

"Wait!" Sarah said, suddenly remembering something. Everyone stared at her, open-mouthed – no one dared interrupt the Council, and no human had ever done so. She bent down and reached up under her dress, fumbling with something and hiking her dress up to her thigh.

"Sarah!" Jareth exclaimed in shock.

"Sorry, just…hang on, just a sec," she said. She finally managed to get what she was after and pulled it off her leg, letting her dress fall again. "Here. This is his, isn't it? It's one of Maldonek's scales." It was a dark blue pendant he'd given her on their wedding night, and she had finally realized that was what Vezzeryn's shiny scales had reminded her of. It was on a tight chain he'd wound around her upper thigh.

"How long have you had that there?" Jareth asked sharply, a little fear in his voice.

"Since we got married," Sarah said, holding it out for the Council to see. Vezzeryn stretched his neck out so his face was only a few feet from Sarah, but she stood her ground. He examined the pendant closely.

"Is it real, Vezzeryn?" Jareth asked, breathless.

"It is," Vezzeryn said quietly, his voice shocked. "It is very much one of Maldonek's. It's genuine."

"Dear gods," Jareth choked. The rest of the Council was silent.

"What? What's the matter with everyone?" Sarah asked, thoroughly confused.

"It allowed Maldonek to control you, small one," Vezzeryn said gently, pulling back away from her. "It made you powerless against him."

"Well, that explains a lot," Sarah said, disgusted. She threw it to the floor. "Well, _now_ do you believe me?" she asked, looking up at the Council.

"We deeply regret what he has done to you, human Sarah," Vezzeryn said.

"Thank you," Sarah said quietly. "I don't want him destroying the Underground. Can he be stopped?"

"And what do you care for the Underground, human?" Al'denel said. "This is not your home."

"Then I have no home," Sarah countered, her eyes narrowed. "I don't really care if you all think I'm worthless, the Underground is the only home I have."

"Ridiculous," Firona huffed. "Completely ridiculous."

"It doesn't matter, Firona," Jareth said, annoyed. "It doesn't matter who cares for the Underground and who does not, the fact remains that Maldonek has been able to return here at night and he will continue to do so until he can get his hands on Sarah to finish regaining his power. He must be stopped."

"True," Glaedya chimed in. "Vezzeryn, the Underground is in serious trouble."

"Indeed, Glaedya," Vezzeryn said gravely. "We must discuss what to do."

Sarah let out a sigh of relief. They believed her. Finally.

"Human, you may return…home, or wherever it is," Eindar said. "We will discuss ways of stopping Maldonek."

"Maybe I could help," Sarah said. Most of the Council laughed. "Well, I could!" Sarah said defensively.

"Believe me, human," Eraeth laughed. "You will be of no help here."

"Come, Sarah," Jareth said, shooting the Council a dirty look and taking Sarah's arm. "We will speak outside." He led her out of the room and to the sofa they'd sat on before.

"Fine, take their side," Sarah spat, pulling out of Jareth's grasp. "Just because I'm apparently some stupid little human-"

"Enough," Jareth said in a final tone. "I have already explained to you how they feel, and how I feel much differently. Unfortunately, if you remain here, everything will take much longer while they bicker about you being allowed to stay."

"You're sending me back home?" Sarah shrieked. "How _could_ you, Jareth?"

"Of course I'm not," Jareth said soothingly. "Sarah, I could not do that to you. You must know that."

"Then what am I supposed to do, sit out here and stare at the wall while you all discuss your stupid plans? May I remind you that I'm the one who's known him for years up there, I could actually be of help in locating him, you know."

"I know, my Sarah," Jareth said. "I know. But it will take longer to convince them of that than we have, and my first priority is seeing to it that you are safe from him, whatever that takes."

"Okay," Sarah sighed, defeated. "I understand. But seriously, am I just going to sit out here and wait on you all day?"

"Actually," Jareth said, a genuine smile crossing his face, "I did wonder if perhaps you'd like to visit your friends again."

"Are you serious? Really?" Sarah said excitedly. "Oh, of course I would!"

"I thought so," Jareth said. He pulled a crystal out of the air and danced it across his fingers. She hadn't seen him do that since the night she ran the Labyrinth, and this time she giggled from sheer joy. He smiled at that. "I'll send you back with this. You'll find the dwarf outside the gates where he was last time. He'll help you find the others. Please don't dawdle around the Labyrinth, though…I would very much prefer you went straight to the castle with them."

"How? It took me ages to get through it last time."

"The dwarf knows the way," Jareth assured her. "Tell him I said to take you straight there; he'll show you."

"If he believes me," Sarah laughed lightly. "He's too scared you'll throw him into the bog."

"Here," Jareth said, taking off the oddly-shaped pendant that hung around his neck and pressing it into her hands. "This will show him you've spoken to me, and that my word is to be obeyed. It will also show any who try to deter you that they are to let you pass." She clutched her hands around it, fascinated.

"Don't you need it?" she asked, running her fingers gently over the shape.

"I'll be fine without it for a while," Jareth assured her. "Don't worry. Go…get back to the castle…and I will join you before nightfall."

"Okay," Sarah said, slightly uncertain. "If you're sure."

"I'm positive, my Sarah," Jareth said tenderly, stroking her hair back from her face. He brought her hand up to kiss it softly again. "I will see you soon." He handed her the crystal and a second later, she vanished. He sighed and turned to go back into the Council, hoping they could come up with a plan.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sarah appeared at the edge of the Labyrinth just a moment later and put Jareth's amulet around her neck. She was on the hill where Jareth had first brought her, and looking out over the Labyrinth now, in the morning, it was a sight to behold. It looked dangerous even from here, as thoroughly intimidating as it had when she'd run it, but also strangely beautiful. The sunlight hitting almost every bit of it, the large castle seated above everything else…it looked truly magical.

Heading down the hill, she spotted Hoggle walking along the wall of the Labyrinth. A huge grin split her face as she went up to him.

"Hoggle!" she said excitedly as she reached him. He looked around in surprise.

"Sarah?" he asked, bewildered. "What are you doing here? What did you do to your face? Ain't your brother too old for Jareth to take now? What's going on?"

"Oh, Hoggle, it's so good to see you again," Sarah said, bending down to hug him. He awkwardly patted her shoulder and she stood up. "Listen, you're supposed to take me to the castle."

"I am?" Hoggle asked warily. He wasn't keen on upsetting Jareth again, and no matter how much he liked Sarah, if she was to run the Labyrinth again, he was unwilling to help her.

"Yes," Sarah smiled at the unsure note in his voice; just like she'd predicted. "Jareth said you're to take me directly there…but he did say we could find Ludo and Sir Didymus first," she added.

"Did he now?" Hoggle asked skeptically. "I don't believe you."

"I told him you wouldn't," Sarah laughed. "Here. He said this would do." She held out the amulet around her neck. Hoggle's eyes widened in shock.

"Sarah, what's going on?" he asked, wondering if he even wanted any part in this. She'd stopped calling him, after all; maybe something more sinister than he expected was going on.

"I know it's all confusing, I'm sorry," she apologized. "But I really think we should get up to the castle before I explain everything. It…well, it might be dangerous out here."

"The Labyrinth is supposed to be dangerous," Hoggle commented.

"It's not the Labyrinth I'm worried about," Sarah said darkly. "Look, come on. Let's get the others. I promise you I'll explain everything. Please?"

"Alright," Hoggle sighed. He walked over to the opening in the Labyrinth and guided her in. "I don't like it."

"I know," Sarah said. "I really am sorry."

"How did you get here anyway?" Hoggle asked as he led her on.

"Jareth sent me with a crystal," Sarah explained. "We were at the Hall of the High Council, but they didn't want me there, and he had to send me back, but I didn't know the way, and he wanted to let me see you all again…"

"The High Council?" Hoggle asked in shock. "What've you done?"

"Nothing," Sarah assured him. "It wasn't like that. But I'll tell you about that part later."

"Fine," Hoggle said, shaking his head. "So how come you stopped calling for us?"

"I'm sorry, Hoggle," Sarah said, and she sounded very sad now. "I was having a rough time…I couldn't bear to see you all."

"What's happened to you, Sarah?" Hoggle asked quietly. "You're all hurt. Did Jareth do that to you?"

"No!" Sarah said in surprise. "Of course he didn't. It was my…husband."

"You got married, did you?" Hoggle asked grumpily. "I guess we weren't important enough to know about it."

"It wasn't exactly a happy time," Sarah said. "No one knew about it."

"What about your brother?" Hoggle asked. "Is he doing okay since you rescued him?"

"I haven't talked to my family in seven years," Sarah said sadly.

She explained about Karen and her family before they reached Ludo, who joyfully greeted Sarah. They found Sir Didymus next and quickly made their way with shortcuts to the castle. Once they were safely inside, Sarah felt a little bit better; whatever Jareth had said, she was still worried about Seth or Maldonek or whoever he was.

"Uh…" she said, looking around. She realized she wasn't actually sure where to go. "I guess we could just use the throne room," she said, fingering the amulet around her neck. "He isn't here to use it anyway."

"Are you sure about that?" Hoggle asked worriedly.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Sarah said, though she wasn't quite as sure as she sounded. She led them in and sat down on the steps surrounding the throne, unwilling to attempt to sit on the throne itself – it was too much of an intrusion without the Goblin King's permission. "So…I guess I owe you all an explanation."

They sat together while Sarah told them all what had happened, explaining everything that had gone on since she stopped calling them. They asked if they could help in any way when she was done, all having quickly forgiven her, but she told them she didn't know what they could do since Jareth wasn't back yet and had no answer from the Council. Around lunchtime, a goblin brought them lunch; Sarah assumed it was Jareth's orders to serve guests even when he wasn't present. Still not sure where else to go, they remained in the throne room the rest of the day with the three telling Sarah what they'd been up to for the last seven years.

"Jareth was terrible to be around," Hoggle told her at one point. "He got so angry all the time."

"He told me you'd probably say that," Sarah laughed. It was so easy to talk to her friends. She had missed them more than she could say. She felt so comfortable she almost forgot they weren't lounging in her bedroom anymore.

"I think he was mad at you for beating him," Hoggle said. Sir Didymus had thoroughly overexcited himself and was now sleeping on the floor next to Ambrosius, and Ludo was merely listening with mild interest.

"Maybe," Sarah said. Of course she'd had her own revelation the night before, but she didn't think it was appropriate to share it with her friends just yet. "He seems okay now, though."

"Well, I hope so," Hoggle said. "'Cause he was a big pain in the-"

"Do you really want to finish that sentence, Hogbrain?" Jareth asked, striding into the room.

"It's Hoggle," Sarah corrected automatically, looking up at Jareth. He looked very angry, and she was suddenly a little worried; was it that big a deal she'd used his throne room? Mostly she was concerned for the safety of her friends, though; surely he wouldn't send _them_ to the bog when it'd been _her_ idea.

"Whatever," Jareth said, rolling his eyes. "What are you all doing in my throne room?"

"Sorry, Your Majesty," Hoggle said, standing up quickly. "Sarah thought it'd be alright."

"Did she now?" Jareth said, turning his gaze upon her. "And what made her think that?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, trying to lighten the tension on his face. "I wasn't actually sure where else to go, without my own room or anything." Jareth's expression softened. Of course she didn't, he thought. She barely knew anything about his castle, and he hadn't been polite enough to show her around before.

"I see," he said, his tone calmer. "Well, I have some very important things to discuss with Sarah, so out with you."

"Hey," Sarah said indignantly, standing up. "You don't have to be so rude to my friends."

"This is _my_ castle," Jareth said, raising his eyebrows. "If I wish anyone to leave it, they will do so."

"And if _they_ wish to leave it themselves?" Sarah asked acidly, staring at Jareth with a defiant expression on her face, hands on her hips. She didn't care if he was angry or not, she wasn't going to be afraid of him this time.

Jareth stared at her, his mouth slightly open in surprise. He was about to give an angry retort when he noticed the bruises on her face again, stopping him. They reminded him why she was there in the first place, and that he would do well to treat her more kindly than Maldonek had ever bothered to.

"I apologize, Sarah," Jareth said quickly. "Please forgive my rudeness. I do not wish you to leave." Her expression softened as well. Hoggle looked on in shock.

"Thank you," she said quietly. She turned to her three friends; Sir Didymus had woken up. "It was good to see you, all of you," she said with a smile at them. "I'll be sure to keep in touch better now. Thank you for bringing me back here safely, Hoggle," she added pointedly, looking at Jareth out of the corner of her eye.

"Of course, Sarah," Hoggle said, still wary of the Goblin King's manner. "If you need us…"

"I'll call," Sarah smiled reminiscently. Her friends quickly left the throne room and she turned to Jareth. "So?" she asked, hands on her hips, still looking a little indignant at his treatment of her friends.

"I do apologize," Jareth said sincerely. "I've had a rather trying day, and I'm not quite used to someone correcting my orders in my own castle," he added wryly. Sarah blushed, immediately feeling bad.

"Whoops. It was out of line, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Jareth chuckled. "But I'll let you get away with it."

"How kind," Sarah teased. "So…what happened? Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"I do," Jareth sighed. "Would you be averse to coming to my chambers again?"

"No, that's fine," Sarah said. He held out his arm for her and she took it; she quite liked walking next to him like this. As they day had gone on without him, she had found herself less and less giddy over time, but it had returned nearly full force upon seeing him. She was slightly afraid of what that meant, but it thrilled her a little bit, too.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Will I have my own room to sleep in tonight?" Sarah asked as they walked.

"Damn," Jareth said, shutting his eyes tightly. "I forgot. Yes, I can get something set up for you. Just…let me rest first."

"Of course," Sarah said quickly. "I don't want to be any trouble. I just need something to sleep on. It can even be a sofa or something, I don't mind."

"You will not sleep on a sofa," Jareth insisted. "If there were truly no alternative, you would sleep in my bed and I would find somewhere else. I'm not that rude."

"I'm sorry," Sarah said quietly, looking away. That was exactly what she had done to him the night before, after all.

"What?" Jareth asked, looking at her in confusion. Then it hit him, and he felt terrible. "Oh, no, Sarah, I didn't mean it that way. I was ridiculously drunk and fell asleep on your sofa. You have a small house. I have a castle; it would be terribly rude of me to deny you one of the many bedchambers in my walls while I sleep in comfort."

"I didn't mean to be rude or anything," Sarah said softly, still feeling rotten. "There wasn't really anywhere else for you or anything…I did try…"

"I thoroughly appreciate your graciousness from last night," Jareth assured her. "You were much kinder than I deserved."

They had reached his bedchamber and he opened the door, holding it for her. She walked over to the sofa next to the fireplace and sat down.

"Is that always on or something?" Sarah asked, nodding to the fire. Jareth removed his cape and flung it over a chair before sitting next to her.

"No," he answered. "The goblins come in and light it for me in the evening."

"Ah," Sarah said wonderingly. She was fascinated by everything in the Underground, even more so with the new knowledge she'd gained of it. "Your castle…your kingdom, really. It's all very interesting, you know."

"Is it?" Jareth asked, pleased that she seemed to enjoy it.

"Yeah," Sarah said. "You sent me back here this morning, to the top of that hill, and I looked out over the Labyrinth with the daylight and everything…it was beautiful." Jareth grinned widely.

"I'm very glad to hear you like it, my Sarah. Your approval means much to me." More than words could express, he thought to himself. Despite his weariness, he felt a surge of pride to know she was pleased.

"Yes, well," Sarah said, blushing again. "So…what happened? Do we need to worry tonight?"

"Not tonight, no," Jareth said. "The Council managed to change security measures temporarily. We'll meet again tomorrow to try to decide on further action."

"That's all that got done today?" Sarah asked incredulously. "You were there most of the day!"

"I know," Jareth said wearily. "It was ridiculous. They kept going on about you, and making everything more trivial than it is because a human is playing a part in this."

"But why?" Sarah asked. "Their home is in trouble!"

"Of course it is," Jareth sighed. "Their feelings toward humans…well, I did tell you how they'd feel about you. Unfortunately, they've picked up on my feelings for you, and it didn't go over well."

"I'm sorry I've made so much trouble for you," Sarah said. "I didn't mean to."

"It isn't your fault, my Sarah," Jareth said softly. "Just know that you do not have to worry about anything tonight, and after that, I'll try to sort out the rest of it."

"They still won't listen to me, I guess," Sarah said.

"No, they're still unwilling to," Jareth said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Did it occur to any of them I might be of help if they want to go find him?"

"It doesn't matter," Jareth said scathingly. "They aren't going to go up and find him."

"Well, then I will," Sarah said angrily.

"Sarah," Jareth tried to calm her. "You can't do that. He's a dragon, and he's much more powerful even than you."

"But he's not controlling me anymore!" Sarah said. "I bet that's why I couldn't resist him before."

"At first it was," Jareth allowed. "But now he's so powerful, it doesn't matter."

"You said I was powerful," Sarah reminded him.

"You are," Jareth smiled. "Unbelievably so. But…please don't be angry with me, as I do not wish to insult you, but as a human you are exponentially weaker than a dragon, even if he is in human form at the time."

"Why does everyone think humans suck so bad?" Sarah burst out. "You keep saying you don't see me as inferior and all that, but then you turn around and say things like that!"

"You are not inferior," Jareth said calmly. "Whatever anyone else thinks; humans are not inferior. You are, however, weaker. Don't look at me like that," he added. "It's not my fault. Shall we use another analogy here? How about a horse, then. Do you consider yourself inferior to a horse?"

"Of course not," Sarah said. "But-"

"And are you weaker than a horse?" Jareth interrupted.

"Yes," Sarah muttered.

"That is all I mean by it, my Sarah. You cannot hope to defeat a dragon."

"Are _you_ that much stronger than I am?" Sarah asked indignantly.

"Probably," Jareth said matter-of-factly. "However, going by strength, even I cannot hope to defeat a dragon, at least not one at full strength. Had I fought him this morning in your living room, I am not truly sure who would have won, despite him not having all his powers."

"So what do you all plan to do about it, then?" Sarah asked. "If no one can beat them."

"You forget, first, that we have dragons on our side as well. Second, fae and elves are able to use magic; humans cannot."

"You said you gave me the power to use magic."

"You can contact magic," Jareth clarified. "You cannot wield it yourself and you cannot manipulate it, but you can interact with the magic of others, such as myself."

"Well, that just sucks," Sarah grumbled, crossing her arms petulantly.

"I daresay it isn't fair?" Jareth smirked, laughing outright when she shot him a dirty look. "It isn't fair, my Sarah, not at all, and I'm sorry for it. But I cannot change it."

"I know," Sarah sighed. "So, about this dragon scale thing," she went on. She'd been wondering about it all day. "What exactly does it do? Why did I have it again?"

"It's powerfully magic," Jareth said heavily. "And that reminds me…may I have my amulet back?" He had seen it around her neck earlier, and it pleased him beyond reason that she'd actually worn it.

"Oh, yeah, here," Sarah said, quickly removing it and handing it back to him. She felt as if it took a little part of her with it. "Wait a minute," she said suspiciously, pulling it back to examine it before he took it. She eyed it critically. "This did something to me, didn't it?"

"Yes," Jareth admitted. Even as he saw her look turn angry, he felt euphoric inside. If she had noticed something when she took it off, that meant…

"You were trying to control me, too?!" Sarah screeched, absolutely enraged.

"No!" Jareth said quickly. "No…this isn't the same thing, I swear."

"I can't believe you," Sarah said, eyes swimming with tears of anger, a look of betrayal on her face. "I can't believe you'd do that to me."

"Sarah, listen to me," Jareth pleaded. She threw the amulet at him and buried her face in her hands. He felt his heart crack that she thought he had deceived her so.

"No," she cried. "Stay away from me."

"Please hear me out," Jareth begged, his voice pained. "Sarah, it is a magical object," he explained. "But it didn't make me control you, I promise."

"Just tell me what the hell you did to me," Sarah sniffled, looking back up at him, hurt and anger flashing in her eyes. "What, did it curse me so I'm stuck here forever? Put a neon sign over my head telling everyone around here that I'm human? What?"

"It didn't harm you," Jareth assured her. "It…it's fed by the heart of the person who wears it," he explained, unsure what she might think of that.

"It was _eating_ my _heart_," Sarah said incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not quite like that," Jareth said. "Let me explain. As I wear it, my love for my kingdom and my people keeps it strong. Now, in all fairness, I never expected you to put it on, just to carry it."

"You sure didn't warn me about it!" Sarah yelled hysterically. "I can't believe-"

"Sarah," Jareth continued quietly, interrupting her, knowing it was time to tell her the most important part. "You wouldn't have noticed anything at all if it hadn't picked up on your love for its owner." He eyed her quietly while she looked at him in shock.

"What the hell makes you think…" she began, her face reddening. She didn't _love_ him! Just because she was happy to see him again, just because she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him...no!

"The amulet won't lie, Sarah. If you had no feelings for me, you would not have noticed that feeling that overcame you when you removed it, because it would not have occurred." He almost didn't want to explain all of this to her, because he knew she was less than pleased to hear it, but it was important for her to understand. He needed her to understand.

"Fine," Sarah snapped, still embarrassed. "Well, whatever. So, what, it just took part of me or something?"

"It did," Jareth explained gently. "It…took a piece of your heart."

"And I don't suppose I can get it back," Sarah bit out angrily. "How very _kind_."

"No," Jareth agreed. "You cannot. However…it was…shall we say, replaced."

"What do you mean by _that_?" she asked acidly, still not wanting to hear all this. Even if she _was_ in love with him, shouldn't she have known it first? _But you did_, a little voice in her head whispered. _You've known all along._

"It filled in what it took, because it knew of my love for you already. A piece of my heart rests with you, and a piece of yours…" he said, slipping the amulet around his neck, startled at the intense feeling of strength radiating into him from it, "rests with me," he finished, closing his eyes. "I've never felt the amulet so strong." Indeed, the power overwhelmed him slightly. Her feelings were quite strong.

There was a long pause. Sarah didn't know what to say. Obviously she was in love with him. And if she hadn't put on the stupid amulet in the first place…true, he hadn't warned her not to, but it wasn't as though it damaged her, she reminded herself. He hadn't told her to put it on, either. She hated admitting it all, but she knew it was the truth…she _was_ in love with him. Finally she spoke.

"Well, I guess there's no beating around the bush for it, anyway," Sarah said quietly. "I'm sorry for my reaction."

"You don't need to be sorry," Jareth said. "You had every right to be upset that another being had used a magical item on you like that. My only defense for not explaining is that I was trying to be quick. And I truly didn't think you'd wear it."

"I wanted to keep it safe," Sarah said softly. "It seemed so important."

"It's terribly important," Jareth agreed. "Much more so now."

"What do you mean?"

"There is little I would put more of a priority on than your heart, my Sarah," Jareth said, reaching over to cup her cheek. She didn't know what to say to that, either, but it pleased her immensely.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"We never got around to the dragon scale," Sarah finally said.

"You're right, we didn't," Jareth said, settling himself back again. "The dragon scale is similar to my amulet, in a way. It has its own power, in that anyone wearing a dragon's scale will bend easily to the will of that dragon."

"So it could have just been a necklace, like yours, instead of some weird thing he wanted around my thigh," Sarah said, confused and a little freaked out.

"They are necklaces, all of them," Jareth said. "Each ruling race has their own," he explained at her look of confusion. "Fae have amulets; sealed inside is a bit of our glittering skin, though each amulet is a different shape. Elves have talismans; they contain a lock of hair and are all in the shape of a leaf. Dragons, of course, have dragon scales."

"Wow," Sarah said, intrigued. "So, do all the amulets do the same thing?"

"Yes," Jareth said. "Each fae amulet is strengthened by the love of and love for its owner. Each elven talisman gives its owner beauty, though it is diminished slightly by lack of _inner_ beauty. Each dragon scale bends the wearer to the will of the dragon."

"So what did you do with the one I left on the floor?"

"It has been destroyed," Jareth said. "You don't have to worry about it anymore. Though I believe the High Council was slightly surprised when you practically flashed them," he smirked. Sarah blushed crimson.

"I didn't mean to," she said. "I had forgotten about it…it was always on me, so I never thought about it anymore. Of course, he would have put it there, so no one else would be able to see it," she added disgustedly.

"There was more of a reason than that," Jareth said, making a face. "With it placed there, it would naturally touch both of you while you…" he couldn't even bring himself to think the words, let alone say them. "Well, you know what I mean. Anyway…it helped him drain you of your power more quickly, with the assistance of the dragon scale."

"Sick," Sarah said, wrinkling her nose. "Completely sick."

"It does feel rather nauseating to think about," Jareth agreed. "Most dragons don't ever use them on other beings. For each race, the token is about power; it gives them their power, one way or another. Dragons prefer to keep their power for their own. Maldonek, of course, had no power to keep anyway."

"Well, then, how did his scale work on me?" Sarah asked. "If he was stripped of his powers?"

"You cannot take the power away from any of the tokens," Jareth explained. "It is impossible. That power is separate from the being's power; that's why it strengthens their power so much."

"So you were weakened today, while I wore this," Sarah said quietly, reaching out to touch the amulet around Jareth's neck.

"I was," Jareth said. "And the others were quick to pick up on that, too," he added in an annoyed tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Sarah," Jareth said. "With such an important object, something that holds half your power, how many people would you just give that to?"

"No one," Sarah said. "And certainly not some dumb little human who had no idea what it even truly was," she added bitingly.

"You aren't a dumb little human," Jareth said firmly. "You realized it was important, yes?"

"Something still could have happened to it."

"Of course it could. That's why you only give your amulet to someone you'd trust with your own life."

"Oh," Sarah said, surprised. She let that sink in for a moment. "Well…thank you, Jareth," she added quietly. "For trusting me."

"Of course I trust you, my Sarah," Jareth said softly, taking her hand and squeezing it.

She smiled at him before looking over at the clock on the wall, surprised to see it was already midnight. "Oh, man," she said. "It got late."

"Indeed it has," Jareth said, surprised as well. "Well, I suppose we better prepare a room for you," he sighed.

"Jareth, you're exhausted," Sarah said quietly. "It can wait until tomorrow."

"Nonsense," Jareth said, trying to stifle a yawn, but Sarah caught him.

"It isn't nonsense, it's true. Get into bed; I can sleep right here." She really didn't care at all where she slept.

"Absolutely not," Jareth said in a commanding tone. "If you insist on waiting until morning for your own room, you will sleep in my bed." Sarah sighed.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she said mockingly, rolling her eyes.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Yes, because you're being demanding."

"I'm being polite," Jareth protested.

"Okay," Sarah said, shaking her head in amusement. "Whatever will make you happy."

"And you sleeping comfortably in a bed will make me happy," Jareth insisted.

"So, am I supposed to sleep in this dress or what?" she asked, getting up and looking around. She didn't see her robe or pajamas anywhere. Jareth got up and walked over to the wardrobe, finding her robe and pajamas hanging right in the front.

"Here," he said, handing them to her. "My goblins will have cleaned them for you today. Good as new."

"Wow," Sarah said. "Well…thanks."

"Tomorrow, I will see to it that a new wardrobe is delivered to your new room," Jareth informed her.

"No way," Sarah said, her eyes widening. "You can't do that."

"What? Why not?" Jareth asked, caught off guard. He thought she would be pleased.

"You're not going to waste your money all on me," Sarah implored him.

"My sweet Sarah," Jareth said softly, taking her into his arms. "Were I to spend every last bit of gold I possess on you, it would not be enough. You should know, however, that buying you your own castle to neighbor mine would barely make a dent in my wealth, so I hardly think a few dresses are out of line." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you like, Goblin King," she acquiesced. "Is there a bathroom where I can change and get ready for bed?"

"Of course," Jareth said, leading her to a door in the corner. "Take your time."

She was pleased to see that for all the medieval style of the entire Underground, the plumbing was modern. She changed and got herself ready for bed as best she could before she realized her toothbrush was with the rest of her belongings Aboveground. It was like being homeless at eighteen all over again, nothing but the clothes on her back. And this time it was nothing but pajamas!

Well, that wasn't quite true, she amended. Jareth had quite generously provided her with a dress, and promised her more clothes. He was being very kind to her.

She stepped out of the bathroom and noticed Jareth already lying on the sofa, presumably so she didn't have a chance to fight him about it. She got the hairbrush off the bureau again and ran it through her hair before going to stand in front of Jareth.

"Something the matter?" Jareth asked, sitting up slightly, his voice concerned.

"No," Sarah smiled. "I just wanted to say good night." She felt very tender toward him after the evening's revelations.

"Good night, my Sarah," Jareth said with a smile of his own. She stroked his hair softly once and walked back to the bed, turning down the plush covers and climbing in. The silken sheets felt smooth and soft against her skin, the bed comfortably warm. It was the most luxurious bedding she'd ever slept in.

She lay there in silence for a long while, her thoughts unwilling to rest. Mostly she was thinking about the realization she'd come to while changing, about how generous Jareth was being. She felt herself lucky to have him near her; she couldn't get over his generosity. However, it occurred to her it was just how Seth had made her feel, in the beginning. Giving her everything she needed, providing for her generously. All for his own ends, to crush her.

Was she really so stupid she was falling for the exact same thing again? She didn't think so. Jareth was so kind…Seth had never been that kind to her. Generous, yes, but making her blush? Complimenting her? Making her feel important? Never.

As she lay there, fully awake in the silence, she began hearing strange noises, as will usually happen when one sleeps in a strange bed. An odd scratching sound. A thump of something that sounded like hooves. A creak here, a groan there. Sarah may have once considered herself brave, but the past seven years had broken her of that. She no longer felt brave about anything…and the strange noises that she couldn't explain in a magical place where anything could happen were stringing her nerves along badly. Was that a roar she heard, off in the distance? Beating wings, perhaps? A strange chittering near the window. Her heart was beating madly. Not afraid of the dark, no, but afraid of what could be lurking in the dark, in a magical realm no less. An owl hooted loudly just outside the window and that was the last straw for her. She cried out in alarm and sat bolt upright, clutching the blankets around her.

"Sarah?" Jareth asked, startled. "Are you alright?" She could see him sitting up by the dim firelight.

"F…fine," Sarah said shakily. She knew she was being stupid; nothing was there, Jareth slept here every night, after all. Nothing was going to jump out and get her.

"Are you quite sure?" he asked. "It was only an owl."

"I know," Sarah replied, her voice still weak. She hated herself for it. "Sorry. I…go back to sleep."

"I've not yet been to sleep," Jareth said as he got up from the sofa, walking toward her. "Mind telling me what scared you?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. She noticed, now that no blanket was covering him, he was bare-chested.

"It's…it's nothing," Sarah said, a little taken off guard at the sight of him without a shirt. It somehow felt rather intimate. "Just all the stupid little noises I'm not used to."

"Ah," Jareth replied knowingly. "I understand. I apologize that they have frightened you, but nothing in my kingdom will harm you; I hope you know that." He reached over to put a soothing hand on her arm. "There is nothing to be frightened of."

"I know there isn't," Sarah said, her voice more snappy than she meant it to be. "Sorry. I just feel kind of stupid for screaming."

"Don't," Jareth said softly. "It can be frightening to be in a new place, in the silence, and unable to see anything in the dark. It isn't stupid at all."

"Thanks," Sarah murmured, relaxing a little at his understanding kindness. "Sorry I made you get up."

"Stop apologizing," Jareth said with a slight smile. "You haven't done anything."

"Sor-okay," she corrected, realizing she had been about to apologize again. He smirked.

"Lie back down, my Sarah," Jareth said in a soft voice. "Relax."

"I was trying," Sarah said wryly as she settled back under the blankets. "Then the damn owl came."

"Oh, now Sarah," Jareth said teasingly. "There's no reason to be frightened of _owls_, of all things."

"Well, that's the second night in a row one has loudly and obnoxiously scared the crap out of me," Sarah informed him, and Jareth laughed outright.

"I'm very remorseful," he said, his eyes twinkling in the dim light from the fire. "And I'm sure the owl outside is quite remorseful, too."

"How do you know? Maybe it doesn't like me."

"Maybe it does, and it was trying to reassure you," Jareth countered. This time Sarah laughed.

"Okay, okay," she said. "I know. I'm just being silly, and there's nothing to be scared of."

"You're not being silly," Jareth corrected, "but no. There's nothing to be scared of."

"Are you completely sure Maldonek won't be able to come tonight?" Sarah couldn't stop herself from asking, shuddering slightly at the thought.

"I am positive, my Sarah, and if I weren't, I wouldn't be going to sleep until morning."

Well, she certainly couldn't doubt that kind of sincerity.

"Okay," she said again. "Thanks."

"Of course," Jareth said, stroking her hair gently. "Would you like me to stay here until you fall asleep?"

"No, that's okay," Sarah said, embarrassed. "You don't need to do that."

"Of course I don't," Jareth agreed. "But that isn't what I asked."

"I…I don't know. I mean…yeah, I'd like that, but-"

"Then I'll stay," Jareth said simply. "Don't worry, my sweet Sarah. I will not let any of the noises get you," he teased, continuing to stroke her hair.

"Thank you, Jareth," Sarah said quietly, closing her eyes. His fingers on her hair were calming, relaxing. No, she thought. Seth had never been sweet like this. This was truly, wholly different.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Jareth woke many hours later to the sounds of whimpers. Looking out the window, he could tell it was still not yet dawn. The whimpers continued, and he thought he heard a soft cry of 'help' from the bed. He sat up and looked over quickly, seeing nothing to alarm him, and assumed Sarah was having a nightmare.

He'd sat and stroked her hair until he was sure she was asleep. He had wanted nothing more than to curl up next to her and fall asleep there himself, but knew he shouldn't do that, not yet. He'd managed to pull himself away and fall asleep on the sofa.

Now, however, hearing the scared sounds coming from the woman in his bed, he wished he had just stayed for her. He dragged himself off the sofa tiredly, stumbling over to the bed.

"Sarah," he whispered, sitting next to her again, seeing her writhing around, a horrified look on her face.

"Please help me…" she whined, and as she turned her face, he saw a glint of a tear in the corner of her eye.

"Wake up, my Sarah," Jareth said, shaking her shoulder gently. It hurt him to see a tear in her eye, even if it was only due to a nightmare. "Wake up."

"No!" Sarah cried, waking up all at once. She looked around frantically, spotting Jareth. "What?"

"You were having a nightmare," Jareth said soothingly. "It's alright." He could feel her shaking now.

"Oh," Sarah said, noticing the sweat on her skin. "I'm sorry."

"You must stop doing that," Jareth said, half smiling at her. "You don't need to apologize."

"I woke you up," she whispered, ashamed of herself.

"It's nothing," he assured her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she said, feeling a tear escape her eye. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

"I'm not leaving while you're upset," he said firmly. "Tell me what happened."

"It was just a stupid nightmare about Seth," Sarah said. "He came for me, and he was mad because I didn't have the scale anymore. It was…terrible," Sarah said, her voice shaking.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Jareth said. "It was only a nightmare, my Sarah," he assured her. "You are safe."

"I know," she whispered. "Thanks." He leaned over to kiss her forehead before lifting up the covers and sliding in next to her. "What are you doing?" she asked nervously. She may have realized she loved him, but sleeping together seemed a little much! She found she couldn't protest very much, however.

"Eliminating the travel needed, should you have another nightmare," Jareth smirked. "Relax, Sarah. Just relax, and go back to sleep."

It was odd, having someone else in her bed while she tried to fall asleep. Seth had never actually slept with her. He'd have his business done and sleep elsewhere. The only time she'd ever had a man in bed with her was for sex, and sex made her nervous, because it always led to pain.

"Why are you trembling?" Jareth whispered, wrapping an arm around her. "Please relax."

"It's hard," Sarah said. She explained how Seth never fell asleep with her, and the nervousness she felt. Jareth's heart ached for her. What a horrible way to live.

"I'm so sorry," Jareth said softly, squeezing her gently. "You have nothing to fear from me, Sarah, I promise you that."

"I know," Sarah whispered back. "I'm trying."

"Would you prefer it if I left you alone? I don't want to make you so uncomfortable." As much as it thrilled him to have her in his arms, lying in his bed, he couldn't continue it if it upset her so much.

"No," Sarah said quickly. "Please…stay. I want you to stay." Even as she was nervous, it felt comforting…somehow, right…to be in his arms this way. She felt safe. Protected.

"Anything you want," Jareth promised her. "Anything at all." She calmed down fairly quickly, reminding herself that this was not Seth, it was Jareth, and she was perfectly safe. She felt Jareth kiss the back of her head gently and was soon asleep, Jareth quickly following.

The following day, Jareth set orders for the goblins to have a wardrobe for Sarah brought to the castle and placed in his own room for the time being. He promised her that when he returned from the Council that day, he'd show her the rooms available to her so she could choose where she wanted to stay. Before he left for the Council, he set Sarah up with Veraina, asking the fae woman to show her around and get her more acquainted with the castle.

"So, I've heard reports that His Majesty has been much more tolerable since you returned," Veraina said with a mischievous sort of grin as they sat down in the kitchens to an informal lunch.

"Is that right?" Sarah asked, blushing.

"Don't worry, my dear," Veraina said reassuringly. "There's nothing at all wrong with it. He was so miserable after you left before…"

"Was he really that bad?" Sarah wanted to know.

"He was," Veraina said sadly. "You see, as fae, we only ever fall in love, truly, once."

"Once, in your entire lives?" Sarah asked incredulously. "No way."

"It's true," Veraina said. "And they are quite long lives."

"I sort of figured," Sarah laughed. "How long do you guys live, anyway?"

"Many hundreds of years," Veraina said. "I have been alive only a little more than a hundred, myself; I am quite young."

"Wow," Sarah said. It was incredible to think about such a thing. "What about Jareth?"

"You should probably ask him yourself," Veraina laughed. "I'm not sure he'd want someone telling for him."

"That's fair," Sarah grinned. "So…have you met your…only love, or whatever, yet?"

"Not yet," Veraina smiled, "but there is plenty of time."

"How do you know when it's the one right person?" Sarah asked, intrigued.

"It probably sounds silly to you, but it is simply…a feeling," Veraina replied. "It's something one simply _knows_ when it happens. Perhaps you might think of it as a soul mate," she continued. "The one person who truly fits our hearts."

"What happens if the person doesn't love you back?" Sarah asked, her voice slightly hesitant.

"Well, then that person isn't your soul mate," Veraina said. She paused for a moment and eyed Sarah. "Are you trying to say you aren't in love with him as well?"

"I…I don't know," Sarah said, sounding a little scared. "I mean…I met him once when I was fifteen-"

"Once is all it takes," Veraina said softly.

"But I just saw him again for the first time in a whole ten years a couple nights ago!" Sarah exclaimed. "I mean, I don't know what to do with that. He seems to think it's not that big of a deal, but it just feels…I don't know, it feels too fast, like…how could anyone know something like that so quick? It's not like we had a relationship or anything." Despite her realizations the night before, she kept trying to justify to herself why it was impossible to feel so strongly so quickly…though she was admittedly grasping at straws.

"Ah, Sarah," Veraina smiled indulgently at her. "He's had ten years to come to terms with the fact that you are the one who was meant for him. To him, it most certainly felt like an eternity. Relationship or not, he's been in love with you for ten years, and never has he stopped thinking about it. To him…he's waited long enough."

"That doesn't seem fair," Sarah said. "I mean, that's all fine and good for him, but don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course you do," Veraina said, sounding surprised. "Has he said otherwise?"

"Well, no," Sarah admitted. "We haven't really talked about it much. I…I'm kind of afraid of hurting his feelings."

"I see," Veraina said. "Well, whether he likes it or not, it's a conversation you must have with him. I know he would not wish to frighten you, or cause you to feel like you were being taken in. It isn't like that," she explained. "It isn't a matter of him falling in love with you and you being forced to love him in return."

"Then what is it, Veraina?" Sarah asked desperately.

"To put it simply, although you may not care for this explanation…he would not have been able to fall so deeply in love with you that he was heartbroken, pining for you for ten years, if you were not meant to love him."

"But I was only fifteen!" Sarah protested.

"Age does not matter," Veraina smiled. "Love's power transcends all others."

"Yeah, he said something like that last night…love is the most powerful force or something."

"And he was quite correct," Veraina agreed.

"He told me that's why you have your amulets," Sarah went on. "The love they hold gives you your power."

Veraina looked startled. "He told you about them?"

"Well, yeah," Sarah said, confused. "Should he not have?"

"Well, it's entirely his choice, of course," Veraina said, "but usually, it isn't discussed, and certainly not with someone you've not been with a long time. But then, I forget what I've just said," Veraina laughed. "He has had ten years, hasn't he?"

"He gave it to me to show my friends to help me get back here yesterday," Sarah explained. "We didn't think they would believe they were actually supposed to help me through the Labyrinth this time."

"He gave it to you?" Veraina asked, even more surprised.

"Well, just to get that done," Sarah said uncomfortably. "I gave it back last night."

"Did you wear it?" Veraina asked at once.

"Well, yeah," Sarah said. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Veraina said quickly. "Just…we rarely take them off." She reached up to finger her own unconsciously as though to make sure it was still there.

"Why not?" Sarah asked.

"We are nearly powerless without them," Veraina explained. "I mean, obviously we have our own power to an extent, but it doesn't amount to much without these. It's quite dangerous to let them out of our sight."

"Oh," Sarah said, overwhelmed with this new knowledge. So he had made it sound less important for him than it really was. He had given it to her, hadn't even explained its importance at all, and trusted her with it, despite the fact that he was practically without power with it away from him. "Well…wow."

"Well, you said you wore it. Did anything…er…happen when you took it off?"

"Yes," Sarah said. She explained the feeling she'd had, and what Jareth had told her about it.

"Well, if that isn't enough proof for you, I don't know what is," Veraina said bluntly. "I mean to say…this powerfully magical object took a bit of your heart away because you are in love with the one it belongs to…they can't do that if it's not true."

"That's what he said," Sarah said, frustrated. "I know, okay? I get it. But it just all feels so fast! I mean, it's one thing to come to the realization you're in love with someone over time, but it's totally different to have some necklace _telling_ you you're in love with them, and not giving you a chance to come to terms with your own feelings!"

"Calm down, Sarah," Veraina said soothingly. "I understand what you're saying. But I'm not the one you need to be saying it to. He needs to hear this, he needs to know how you're feeling about it, because he's the one who needs to give you the space to come to terms with it."

"You're right," Sarah sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Veraina said. "I know it has to be difficult for you to have all this going on at once. Just remember what I said…he's had ten years to come to terms with it, to consider it, to want you back in his life. You can take your time, too."

"Thank you," Sarah said quietly. "I really appreciate the support. I know we barely know each other, but I feel like we're already friends."

"I'd love nothing more than to be your friend, Sarah," Veraina grinned. It had a feral quality that reminded her strongly of Jareth. "You are such a lovely person, and it's been so much fun talking to you today."

"I haven't had any friends in a long time," Sarah went on, looking down. "Seth made sure of that."

"Well, I will be glad to call you a friend," Veraina said softly. "I'm sorry about everything that's happened to you." Sarah had spent most of the morning explaining it all. It was somehow so easy to talk to people here.

"It all led me back here," Sarah said. "It's nearly worth it for that alone."

"I'm very glad His Majesty came to talk to you," Veraina said. "I shudder to think what would have happened if Maldonek had surprised us all."

"I know," Sarah said, shuddering herself. "It's scary. I hope Jareth was able to work with the Council and figure something out."

"You look wistful when you think of him," Veraina smiled. "You miss him."

"Am I that obvious?" Sarah muttered, her face reddening.

"It's okay," Veraina assured her. "It's not a bad thing. I feel sure a part of you missed him for the last ten years as much as he missed you, even if you didn't know it."

"I knew it," Sarah said quietly. "I dreamed about him all the time. Sometimes I even wondered what it would be like if I saw him again. If he would hate me for beating him."

"Well, he wasn't exactly _pleased_ about that part of it," Veraina laughed. "But I daresay it didn't bother him overmuch."

"He certainly doesn't seem to hate me," Sarah agreed with a small smile. She blew out a breath. "Thank you for the talk, Veraina. You've really helped a lot."

"I'm glad I could," Veraina said. "Shall we go have a look at the grounds now?"

"Sure," Sarah grinned.

Sarah knew her way around the castle fairly well by now; Veraina was a good tour guide. They went and explored the grounds a little, though not going past the walls of the castle grounds. Sarah found herself getting slightly worried as the afternoon wore on; why was it taking so long? Were they still giving him so much trouble? Had something happened? And above all…was Jareth okay? She tried to keep her mind on the conversation with Veraina, but it kept wandering back toward Jareth as the day went on.

"Sarah, wake up!" Veraina said much later, laughing.

"Huh?" Sarah said; she'd been lost in thought again.

"You were on your own little planet again," Veraina teased. "You don't need to worry about him so much."

"I know," Sarah said, her cheeks reddening. "It's not just that. I'm worried it isn't going well, and that we're going to run out of time and Maldonek is going to end up getting through here…"

"And you're mostly worried about whether or not he's okay," Veraina laughed.

"I can't help it," Sarah muttered, lowering her eyes.

"I know," Veraina smiled. "But he-"

"Is quite fine," Jareth said, striding toward them. Sarah looked up at him, happiness flooding through her body at the sight of him. "Hello, my Sarah," he said softly, walking up to her and embracing her.

"Hi," Sarah said, hugging him back.

"Did you have a nice day?" Jareth asked as he pulled away from her, looking anxiously at her.

"I did," Sarah grinned. "Veraina and I had a great time."

"We did, Your Majesty," Veraina smiled. "I'll be going. Sarah," she added, eyeing the woman. "Feel free to come visit me anytime. If you forget where my rooms are, ask the goblins."

"I will, Veraina, thank you," Sarah smiled back.

"And don't forget what I've said," Veraina added more quietly. "Don't get ahead of yourself without having a proper conversation about it."

"I know," Sarah said.

"Good night," Veraina said, walking away from them.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"What was that about?" Jareth asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later," Sarah grinned; she was so happy to see him she thought she might burst. Surely it couldn't be like this forever, could it? This was getting ridiculous. "How about you tell me how your day was over dinner?"

"That sounds excellent," Jareth agreed. Sarah saw he looked exhausted again, and assumed it hadn't gone well. He offered his arm to her and she took it, walking through to the dining room with him. "You seem happy today."

"Veraina's really nice," Sarah smiled. "And…" she hesitated before speaking, but decided there wasn't much point in playing down her feelings anymore. "And I'm happy to see you."

"Are you?" Jareth asked, a grin spreading across his face. Sarah nodded shyly. "Well, I'm quite happy to see you, as well, my Sarah," he said.

They had reached the dining room and he pulled out a chair for her next to the head of the table, settling himself at the head. Very shortly, dinner was served to them by several goblins.

"You look exhausted," Sarah commented.

"I am," Jareth admitted. "It was a very long day."

"It still didn't go well?" Sarah frowned.

"Yes and no," Jareth said. "They were much more cooperative today. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find Maldonek."

"What? You went looking for him?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," Jareth said. "I convinced them we needed to find him before he came to find us. He would be easier to deal with Aboveground."

"And you still didn't think I could be of any use?" Sarah said indignantly.

"Please don't be upset with me, my Sarah," Jareth said softly; he understood her annoyance, but he couldn't do anything about it. "I'm afraid I'm much too tired to handle it tonight. You know that I think you should have been assisting."

"Sorry," Sarah said quietly, softening at his possessive phrase again. "I know it isn't your fault."

"Thank you," Jareth said. "The good news, however, is that they have finally agreed after our fruitless efforts today that you may indeed be of great help, and your presence is required tomorrow to hopefully assist us in finding him."

"Well, good," Sarah said. "I'll do everything I can."

"I know," Jareth smiled tiredly. "And I appreciate your willingness to work with us, despite their attitudes."

"Well, it's too important to let all that get in the way," Sarah said.

"You're quite right," Jareth agreed.

"So you've been Aboveground searching for him all day?" Sarah asked to clarify.

"Yes," Jareth said. "That's why I'm so tired. Being up there is somewhat draining for magical beings, not to mention the travel between the worlds."

"How did Maldonek do it, then?" Sarah asked. "If he was already stripped of his power on top of it."

"You gave him great power," Jareth explained. "And how often was he fully awake and active when he was with you, after he started coming to the Underground?"

"Oh," Sarah said, realizing. "Well, pretty much never."

"Precisely," Jareth said. He nearly sounded more tired with every sentence.

"So…what's the plan, then?"

"Well," Jareth began, "we hope that perhaps we'll be able to find him quickly in amongst the humans and quietly take care of him. In the meantime, we have again made it so he is unable to come through tonight."

"Why at night?" Sarah asked. "Why are you guys only worried about it happening at night?"

"That is the only time he would be able to travel between the worlds," Jareth explained. "It is immensely difficult to travel between them during the daylight, even for a creature who has their full strength. Anything less than their full power would render such a task impossible."

"And how are you keeping him from doing it tonight, then?"

"There are certain magical wards that can be used, but they are limited by the power of the casters and the constraints of time itself."

"And you're sure that you've done it well enough that he can't get through it," Sarah said skeptically.

"Quite sure," Jareth smiled. "We are the most powerful beings in the Underground, and as such, no other creature, particularly no single creature, would be able to contest that. It will only work one night at a time, however, and the wards themselves are quite draining as well, so it's not an ideal situation."

"Oh," Sarah said, then paused. "Well, that explains the exhaustion for sure," she added teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"That it does," Jareth grinned. They had finished eating and the goblins came to clear away their dishes, so Jareth stood and held his arm out to Sarah. "Shall we find you a room of your own, then?" he asked as she stood up to take his arm.

"Well…I was hoping maybe we could have a talk first," Sarah said hesitantly. Her musings throughout the afternoon and the day spent with Veraina had made Sarah reconsider the idea of a separate room. She wanted to talk with Jareth, like she told Veraina, before making any decisions.

"A talk?" Jareth asked, raising his eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Sarah said. "It's just something that's important to me…to talk to you about."

"Well, then by all means, my Sarah, if it is important to you, then we will talk about whatever you wish," Jareth smiled. A part of him felt a little nervous, however. It sounded serious; did she perhaps want to leave? Had he frightened her too much the night before? He didn't think he could bear the loss of her again; his heart twisted at the very thought. He didn't push her, though, as they walked through the large halls and arrived at his door.

They went inside and sat on the sofa again, just as they had the previous night. She settled herself facing him and took a deep breath.

"Okay, so…about this whole…thing between us," Sarah began. "I know how you feel about me…and you obviously know how I feel about you, because of that amulet thing of yours," she added. "But I feel like it's all kind of going really fast, and maybe people who have been with each other for a couple of days should be kind of…I don't know. Aren't we supposed to go on a date, and then you don't call me for two weeks?" she joked nervously. Jareth stared at her for a moment before responding.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Jareth said. "I didn't realize you felt this way. Of course it would seem different to you." He had loved her from afar for ten years; it seemed wholly natural to him that things would progress quickly, given that. For her, however, it had to be quite a shock to have so many crazy things happen at once, and it would surely take time to process it all.

"No, it's okay," Sarah said quickly. "I mean, I know how you've been thinking of me since I ran the Labyrinth and everything, so it seems perfectly normal to you and all…"

"What do you mean?" Jareth asked, cocking his head.

Sarah went on to explain her conversation with Veraina about soul mates and how Jareth had been missing her for so long already. "So, I mean, it makes sense that you feel that way," she finished.

"Well, you two did find a lot to chat about," Jareth said quietly. "I didn't expect her to tell you so much about that."

"Why?" Sarah asked. "Is it a problem?"

"I rather wish she hadn't mentioned the 'soul mate' idea," Jareth said dryly. "I wouldn't have brought it up myself…I didn't want to frighten you again like I did with the amulet last night."

"No, it isn't that it scares me," Sarah said. "Well, I mean, it kind of does. But it's more that…I just don't really know how I feel yet, you know?"

"I do," Jareth assured her. "I understand completely. And you have every right to want to slow down our…relationship. I never meant to push anything on you, and I sincerely apologize if you feel that I have."

"No, no," Sarah said quickly. "You haven't. That's kind of the problem, though," she added. "I'm just…I'm not sure if I _do_ want to slow anything down. I feel like I'm supposed to, and it's overwhelming, but…I can't exactly deny my feelings for you, can I?" she said, gesturing to Jareth's amulet. "And there's no point pretending we don't both know about it."

"Yes, but Sarah, if what you need is time to come to understand your feelings on your own, then you ought to have that. As much as you need."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Jareth, I don't want my own room," Sarah blurted out, covering her mouth with her hand after she did so. She hadn't meant to say that; she hadn't even thought she was sure of _what_ she wanted yet. But there it was.

"What do you mean?" Jareth asked in confusion. After all that, could she really want to leave?

"I…I was thinking of just kind of…staying in here," Sarah said, her cheeks flaming. She felt like she was being way too pushy; who was she to demand a place in the king's bedroom? Maybe he didn't even want to share it with her. They were both silent for a moment, staring at each other. "I mean, obviously I don't want to just force myself in here, obviously it's your home and everything, it was only a thought, I mean, last night was-"

Before she knew what was happening, Jareth had crossed the distance between them and covered her mouth with a searing kiss, taking her completely by surprise. The feeling was so wonderful, though, that she couldn't remember why she hadn't done it herself.

Jareth had listened to her in shock. She was talking about how their relationship was moving too fast, and then suddenly wanted to share his bedchamber. Ten long years of dreaming about having her sharing his bed, then this…mere days after he'd gotten her back. Once his senses caught up with him, he could think of nothing to do but kiss her; it was the only thing that mattered.

They broke apart, both breathing heavily as they stared into one another's eyes.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Jareth asked quietly, afraid she might regret her words.

"I am," Sarah said, and he could not doubt the sincerity in her eyes. "Jareth…I may not have realized it the whole time, but I've wanted you back in my life for ten years, too. I dreamed about you all the time. I wondered about you. I thought about you. Even when I wouldn't let myself think about you."

"Oh, my dear Sarah," Jareth said, his voice low and threaded with emotion. "I wish I had known. I wish I had come to you sooner. I wish you had asked to talk to me."

"It doesn't matter," Sarah said quietly. "It doesn't matter now. You know now, and I'm finally back here now. And I know how I feel now. That's what matters."

"Yes," Jareth agreed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into him, cradling her head against his chest. "My Sarah, my sweet Sarah," he whispered into her hair.

Emotion welled up inside Sarah, and it urged her to say the words, to let him hear them, to cement it. She still wasn't completely sure of herself, but her heart obviously was, and somehow, saying the words was of the utmost importance. _Say your right words_, she thought to herself, fighting the urge to laugh. Never had any words been more right.

"Jareth," she said softly, pulling away from him so she could look into his eyes. She took a deep breath. "I love you," she said. Though her voice wobbled slightly, though it held a bit of uncertainty, her heart soared as she said the words.

"Oh, my Sarah, I love you, too," Jareth said. He felt as though he might explode with the joy he felt at hearing her say it. It had taken so long…but every second had been worth it to hear the words from her.

Sarah knew this was too fast. Her brain was telling her to slow down, to cool it, to take her time. Her heart, however, fully approved. And as it was the first time her heart had approved so enthusiastically of something in her life…she went with it. She kissed him this time, winding her fingers in his hair, enjoying its softness.

He felt her fingers tugging at his hair as she pressed her lips to his and the sensation was incredible. He'd never felt anything like it, and it was addictive. He could have stayed like that forever. She began moving her fingers through his hair, and he felt the tips of them tracing along his ears. When she got to the tip, he felt her surprised intake of breath as she continued feeling along the shape of his pointed ears curiously. She pulled away a moment later.

"Your ears are different," she whispered breathlessly, staring into his eyes. He smiled slightly.

"Do they bother you?" he asked, slightly worried about her answer, though she'd kept her hands where they were, feeling them.

"No," she said, smiling back. "It's…interesting. Your eyes are different, too." She had, of course, noticed this the first time when she was fifteen, but naturally she hadn't asked about it. After meeting Veraina and Firona, she knew it wasn't simply because he was a fae.

"They are," Jareth agreed.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"It was the result of a magical battle, many years ago," Jareth explained matter-of-factly. "It doesn't affect my vision."

"Oh," Sarah said, processing this. She dropped her hands from his ears, wrapping them around his neck instead. "How old are you, Jareth?" she asked.

"Why the sudden curiosity?" Jareth asked lightly, though he felt slightly uneasy at the question.

"Veraina and I were talking about it earlier," Sarah explained. "She told me she's young for a fae…only a little more than a hundred years old. I asked about you…she said I should ask you about it."

"Ah," Jareth said. He supposed it was natural she would feel this curiosity upon learning so many things at once, but he wasn't sure how she would feel about his answer. "I have been alive for nearly five hundred years," he finally answered, hoping she wouldn't react too badly.

"Wow," Sarah said, her eyes widening.

"Does _that_ bother you?"

"A little," Sarah admitted. Jareth's face fell.

"Would it help if I told you that it is the equivalent of around forty years old, in human terms?"

"No," Sarah said with a slight smile. "That's not what bothered me."

"Then what is it, my Sarah?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"Well, if you're five hundred, and only around forty, you've got another several hundred years to live, right?"

"I do," Jareth agreed.

"But I'm twenty-five. And I'm a human. I'll probably only live about another fifty years or so."

"Ah, I understand," Jareth smiled. That was all? "This is nothing to worry about, my Sarah."

"Seriously?" Sarah asked incredulously. "I'm pretty sure it's a problem if I'm going to die hundreds and hundreds of years before you."

"You forget what I've told you about magic," Jareth said. "Do you remember how I explained that you are able to interact with magic? Magic is still able to have an effect on you, even if you can't use it yourself."

"I don't understand," Sarah admitted.

"The magic of the Underground will work upon you. You will come to acquire the lifespan of any average Underground citizen."

"Is yours average?"

"Mine is slightly more than average. However, it is not a significant difference. It will not be a problem, my Sarah."

"Oh," Sarah said, then paused. "Well, okay."

"Is there anything else about this world, or myself, that has been weighing on you?" Jareth asked.

"Not right now," Sarah smiled. "Thank you for understanding…I appreciate it."

"Of course," Jareth grinned. "Sarah…are you sure you want to stay in here? You would not prefer your own room?"

"No," Sarah said honestly. "I want to be with you."

"You have no idea what that means to me," Jareth said, looking at her tenderly.

"I'm glad," Sarah smiled. She enjoyed making him happy, she found. "So…did I get clothes today?"

"You should have," Jareth said. He stood up and walked over to his wardrobe, opening it to find it full to bursting.

"Wow," Sarah said, eyes wide. She spent the evening going through all her new clothes, most of which were dresses like the one she wore, though there were a few pairs of jeans and a few t-shirts included. She also had several pairs of comfortable pajamas along with a few fancier nightgowns. Even her underwear had been taken care of, along with several pairs of shoes.

They fell asleep that night, Jareth's arms once again wrapped around Sarah, both utterly content.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"If you've come to take me back to the Underground, you better be prepared for a fight," Seth said angrily, staring at the woman before him.

"Oh, shut up," Firona the fae said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not stupid enough to come here by myself to try and take you anywhere. And I couldn't if I wanted to; the shields are strong."

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Seth asked. "How did you find me?"

"I found you earlier, you idiot," Firona said. "What a novel hiding place; right at your own home."

"If you all found me, then why wasn't I taken?"

"Don't be stupid," Firona said. "I don't have time for your nonsense. Of course no one else knows you're here; I came alone and found you."

"And you didn't tell them, because you wanted to be _kind_," Seth said sarcastically. "What gives, Firona?"

"I have no interest in kindness toward a damned dragon," Firona spat. "I didn't tell them because I wanted to talk to you myself."

"Going to try and persuade me to confess my sins to the Council and cleanse my terrible ways?" Seth laughed cruelly. "Good luck."

"If you'd shut the hell up, I'd explain my plan to you," Firona said angrily.

"And what use do I have for the plans of a little fae woman?" Seth sneered.

"If you'd rather, I could go back to them right now and tell them exactly where you are so you can face the full power of the Council," Firona threatened.

"Why don't you?" Seth asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"I want to help you," Firona said, causing Seth to laugh.

"Yeah, right."

"Not for _your_ sake, of course," Firona clarified haughtily. "I could care less what happens to you."

"Then why?"

"You want the human, do you not?"

"No shit," Seth rolled his eyes.

"Well, seeing as I am on the Council who is making the plans to defeat you, I can easily ensure you get her."

"And what do you care about it?"

"I want her out of the way."

"She poses no threat to you," Seth said. "Why does it matter?"

"Ah, I forget. You dragons don't care to understand the love of fae."

"Of course not. What use is love?"

"It is irrelevant," Firona sighed. "I assume you at least understand that for fae, true love happens but once in our lifetime."

"Yes," Seth said impatiently. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Jareth, King of the Goblins," Firona said scathingly, "has apparently fallen in _love_ with the human girl you chose to take your power from."

"And let me guess," Seth said in a mock sympathetic voice. "You're madly in love with him and she is in your way."

"Of course not!" Firona spat. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Then what's it to you who he loves?"

"Why are you protesting this so much?" Firona asked angrily. "I would have thought you would be happy for assistance."

"If you have no compelling reason to help me, how can I trust you? I need proof."

"Fine," Firona said. "It is utterly disgusting that a member of my kind could fall in love with a pitiful little human, and it is a further embarrassment that it was a member of the High Council. Someone in _power_."

"So, I take the human, erase her ability to communicate with magic as I restore my power, and he comes to get her and gives her everything anyway. What does this fix?"

"No," Firona said, her eyes glinting. "You kill the human in your quest to obtain her power. As true love works with fae, Jareth will be completely destroyed. No more human; you returned to power; no more filth on the face of our very race."

"You'd have to do a lot more than that to get rid of the filth on your race, fae," Seth cackled.

"As though you have room to talk, dragon," Firona growled. "I have no time for petty insults. Do you accept my offer?"

"Like I have a choice. You'll turn me in if I don't."

"Precisely."

"So what happens when I succeed? When the human and Jareth are out of the way? Then the power of the Council takes me down anyway?"

"Don't get yourself caught," Firona said. "That's why I will help."

"Then why not simply take me through now?" Seth asked. "In and out, I could likely kill them both without anyone noticing until morning."

"I've already told you, I cannot," Firona said impatiently. "It was difficult enough for me to get through myself."

"Then what help do you plan to be?"

"I will tell you what I can, and I will return to inform you of the Council's plans as I know them. That will have to do."

"Fine," Seth spat. "What plans do you know of?"

"For now, they are focusing on tracking you down up here. Meanwhile we are setting the wards nightly, so you will not be able to come through on your own. Tomorrow the human will be assisting us in our search," Firona said, rolling her eyes. "Jareth was insistent."

"So I will continue to hide until their plans change to suit me?"

"I am trying," Firona said. "Do you have a better idea?"

"Get her back up here," Seth said simply. "If she's on her own, I can easily overpower her, and I will regain my power, destroy the girl, and be done with it."

"Do use your head, Maldonek," Firona spat. "Jareth is not going to leave her side while Aboveground."

"So make it her idea," Seth said. "If she wants to come back here, and she wants to be alone, will he not listen to her?"

"Perhaps," Firona said, contemplating the idea. "I may be able to make that work."

"Then do so," Seth said. "I will wait here for her tomorrow. You will ensure she comes. I will take care of her.

"Good," Firona said, finally smiling. "The problem will be quickly resolved."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The next morning, Sarah went back to the Hall of the High Council with Jareth. She was intimidated by them, knowing how they felt about her and everything, but since she had been back in the Underground, she was becoming much braver. Seth had largely broken her of her bravery and fighting spirit, but after removing the dragon scale he had placed on her and finally being in a place of such happiness within herself, she noticed she was returning to the braver, more courageous Sarah she'd been ten years before. It made the idea much easier to bear.

Of course, Jareth helped too. Realizing that she loved him, realizing that he loved her, and realizing that she was no longer all alone, was incredibly healing for her.

She had, therefore, walked into the Council with her head held high, arm proudly through Jareth's.

"Sarah," Firona said, smiling at her. "I'm so glad you will be assisting us today. I'm sure you'll be able to help us locate Maldonek quickly."

"I hope so," Sarah said. She was slightly surprised at how nice the fae was being to her today.

"I did have a thought last night that you might be interested in," Firona went on. "Since we will be back Aboveground today, and you will graciously be coming with us," she smiled sweetly at this, "I thought it only fair that _we_ graciously allow you the chance to go back to your home, retrieve anything you might wish to have with you."

"Oh," Sarah said in surprise. "I hadn't actually thought about it. Um…I don't know that there's much I care about, though."

"Surely there must be something," Firona said, smiling more sweetly. Jareth eyed her suspiciously, knowing she was one of Sarah's biggest protestors and wondering why she would therefore be acting so kindly toward the girl.

"If she does not wish to return for anything, there would be little point in going there, Firona," Jareth said.

"Oh, of course," Firona said quickly. "I just thought perhaps there would be some small trinket she wished to retrieve. I know I wouldn't want to be without something quite important to me."

"That's true…thank you, Firona," Sarah said, thinking. "I think I would like to go, actually."

"Then I shall accompany you," Jareth said at once.

"Would it not be better if we split up?" Firona asked eagerly. "I searched the house yesterday, Jareth, you know that. He isn't there, and what chance would there be of him trying to hide out there anyway? He knows we would look."

"Yeah," Sarah said. "It's really okay, Jareth, I don't mind. You should go check some other places. I want him found."

"Absolutely not," Jareth said firmly. "Under no circumstances will I send you by yourself anywhere Aboveground while we know he is hiding up there."

"Then I could accompany her," Firona offered, thinking quickly. "I could take her myself; you know I'm just as capable as you, Jareth, and then you could still search elsewhere for Maldonek. I would bring her back to you as soon as she retrieved all she wanted."

"How generous," Jareth said sarcastically, narrowing his eyes. "Forgive me, however, if I believe she would be better off with myself than someone who shows a certain disregard for her kind."

"Jareth," Sarah whispered, annoyed. "I can make my own decisions, you know."

"Of course you can," Firona said indulgently. "What would you prefer, dear Sarah?"

"Um…" Sarah said uncomfortably. "Well, it was really nice of you to offer and everything, Firona, but-"

"Come on, it could be fun," Firona said, a slightly desperate note to her voice.

"Firona," Vezzeryn said calmly, "leave it. The girl wishes to return to her previous home with Jareth; that is what she will do."

"Alright," Firona said, looking clearly annoyed.

"Thank you for the idea, though," Sarah said, hoping to make the fae woman feel better.

"Of course," Firona said, though she still looked sour.

Jareth eyed her while the rest of their plans for the day were made based upon Sarah's knowledge of where Seth liked to go, but Firona revealed nothing. Very soon, they were all ready to leave.

"Firona, I would like a word with you," Jareth said as everyone else walked away. Sarah eyed him curiously. "Go on out to the hall; I will be out in just a moment," he said to her. She smiled at him and complied.

"What is it?" Firona sighed. "We have to get going."

"What are you planning, Firona?" Jareth asked quietly after everyone was gone.

"What are you talking about? We just talked about our plans," she said exasperatedly.

"You were very keen on Sarah going to that house without me," Jareth said, eyes narrowed.

"I thought she might like a little time away from you, with you _smothering_ her every second," Firona said acidly.

"You're up to something, and I swear by my kingdom that if you harm this woman, you will not see another day," Jareth threatened quietly. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Jareth," Firona said, rolling her eyes. "Why would I be bothering with all this ridiculousness of trying to find Maldonek if I were going to harm her?"

"Just keep it in mind," Jareth said before walking away.

"Trust me, I will," Firona muttered, glaring at his back before taking off herself.

Jareth joined Sarah in the hall and transported them Aboveground, just outside the house.

"Let me check before you go in, Sarah," Jareth said, striding ahead of her to the door. Aware of it now, she noticed that he did look slightly tired after just that trip.

"Don't be so crazy, Jareth. Firona said she looked here yesterday and he wasn't here. It's not going to take that long. You worry too much."

"I can't help it," Jareth admitted. "Would you not be worried about me entering the dwelling of a known enemy?"

"Oh, okay, fine," Sarah said with a small laugh. "I understand. You can check out the house; I'm just going to run up to the bedroom. All I want is my mother's necklace, it won't take me but a minute. And you'll hear me call for you if something happens."

"Okay," Jareth relented. They went inside and he immediately took to scouting the first floor for any signs of someone hiding while Sarah ran up the stairs to her jewelry box.

As soon as she grabbed the necklace, someone grabbed her. She tried to scream, but they placed a hand over her mouth immediately so she was unable to make a sound. She quickly realized it was Seth.

"This was easier than I thought," Seth laughed softly. Sarah struggled to get free of him, writhing and kicking and trying to elbow him, but he was much too strong for her. "Stop struggling," he commanded. When she didn't obey, he said it again. "Stop struggling! Now!" She bit his hand and he quickly moved it away from her teeth.

"No! Jareth!" she screamed.

"He came with you?" Seth said, startled for a moment.

"Yes! Jareth, help!" she screamed, continuing to struggle.

"Dammit!" Seth hissed. "And why aren't you listening to me?"

"Because your damn mind control scale has been destroyed!" Sarah yelled. "Let _go_ of me!"

Jareth appeared in the doorway, his face horrorstruck.

"Maldonek, drop her," Jareth said, seething.

"Fight me if you dare, oh mighty king," Seth mocked. "You'll only kill her."

"Just because _you_ are so unskilled does not mean we all are," Jareth said, conjuring a crystal. He threw it at Seth who dodged it, throwing Sarah in its path instead, just as Jareth had expected. The crystal, however, was meant not to harm but to protect, and the shield covered Sarah as it backed her away from Seth to the other side of the room. As Seth leapt for her, Jareth threw another crystal at him, causing him to fall to the ground. He got up quickly, however, and lunged for Jareth this time.

They locked themselves in physical combat as Sarah watched helplessly, wishing she could do something, but held in place by the shield Jareth had made for her. Jareth locked his arms around Seth's neck, apparently trying to snap it, but Seth was too strong for it; he worked his way out of the hold and punched Jareth in the stomach, causing Jareth to double over for a moment. Seth took advantage of this and grabbed one of Sarah's fancy hair pins off the dresser, attempting to stab Jareth with it as it was the only weapon in reach, but after a blow to Jareth's shoulder glanced off, Jareth stood up and knocked the pin from Seth's hand. In retaliation, Seth clasped his hands around Jareth's throat, attempting to strangle him. Jareth's face turned red and Sarah cried out in fear to him, but he was finally able to break Seth's hold on him. He hit Seth in the face while he gasped for air, sending Seth stumbling backward, but Seth recovered and turned around, facing Sarah.

"Oh, no you don't," Jareth coughed out as Seth went for Sarah again, grabbing him around the knees and taking him down. Seth kept struggling, but Jareth's hold was too tight this time. Jareth managed to get hold of one of Seth's ankles, breaking it completely with a sickening crunch. Sarah felt nauseated as she watched, but Seth was clearly in too much pain to continue fighting. Jareth wanted to kill him, but knew that alone he would be unable to do so, so he settled for shoving Seth to the other side of the room and launching himself at Sarah, conjuring a crystal as he went. When he reached her, he threw the crystal back at Seth, causing him to become trapped and unable to escape. He wanted to be sure Seth would be in the same spot when he returned with the others.

He then quickly transported himself and Sarah back to the Hall of the High Council, stumbling over to a small crystal orb on a pedestal and placing his hands upon it to summon the other members of the Council.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asked as he fell to his knees next to the pedestal, shaking slightly.

"I'm fine, my Sarah," Jareth panted. The travel Aboveground followed so quickly by such a physical fight with one as strong as Maldonek and then more travel between the worlds right away had weakened him more than he cared for. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm not hurt at all," Sarah assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need to sit down?"

"I promise you, I am fine," Jareth said with an exhausted smile. "It was just a lot of unexpected effort, magically and physically, in a short time. I will recover."

"If you're sure," Sarah said skeptically. "Can I do anything?"

"Simply…stay here with me," Jareth said. He moved so he was sitting propped up against the wall.

"Of course," Sarah said quickly, sitting next to him. "Jeez, does magic and stuff always wear you out so much?"

"Not usually, no," Jareth said. His voice was slightly raw; his throat hurt where Maldonek had grabbed it so tightly. "I believe he was managing to drain some of my power while he had a hold of me."

"No," Sarah gasped in horror.

"It is worrying," Jareth agreed. "As I am another magical being like him, though, he is unable to actually use my power for his own. He is no further on than he was before. However…it takes a good deal of strength to drain the power of a fae, even slightly."

"So he's stronger than you thought."

"Stronger than I really wanted to believe, anyway," Jareth said. "Physically, too. I was completely unable to overpower him." He looked around. "I do wish they would hurry up."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"You were supposed to get her here alone!" Seth spat at Firona.

"I tried, alright?" Firona snapped. "I tried hard enough that Jareth's completely suspicious of me now! At least I came to watch how it went, didn't I?"

"And a lot of good it did me," Seth snapped. He was in quite a lot of pain from his ankle. "Can't you do something about this?"

"You know I can't," Firona said, annoyed. "I'm no healer."

"Then how am I supposed to get out of here before he comes back with the entire Council?" Seth spat back angrily. "He put a spell on me so I can't even leave!"

"_That_ I can take care of," Firona said, getting rid of the spell with a flick of her wrist.

"And how am I supposed to leave here with a broken ankle?"

"What do these blasted humans do when they break one of their fragile little bones?" Firona asked.

"They go to a hospital to have _barbarians_ treat them," Seth sneered. "And if you think for a second that's what I'm going to do-"

"It's that or be caught and killed, Maldonek," Firona said coldly. "I've done what I can."

"The only thing you've done is gotten Jareth suspicious of you and killed my plan, on top of getting me injured!"

"What else would you have me do?" Firona screeched.

"Whatever," Seth groaned, the pain overwhelming him again. "Just get me the goddamned phone."

"What?" Firona asked, entirely confused.

"The white thing on the table over there," Seth said, pointing. "And help me downstairs. I'll call an ambulance to get to the hospital. And you will say _nothing_ of where I've gone."

"To do so would be admitting my own guilt, Maldonek, I'm not that stupid." She felt a summons tugging on her consciousness; Jareth was calling them back. "I have to get out of here or they'll suspect something."

"Fine," Seth said. "Help me first." She helped him down the stairs so he could wait for the ambulance before she disappeared.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Jareth? What has happened?" asked Eindar. He was the first to return.

"I will explain when everyone has arrived," Jareth said. He was still feeling weak, though his strength came back slightly every moment he was in the Underground. Shortly everyone was finally there, Firona again coming last.

"Why have you called us back, Jareth?" Vezzeryn asked as everyone was gathered.

"We were ambushed by Maldonek at his home," Jareth said, eyeing Firona angrily. "It appears he was there after all."

"So he's been found?" asked Eraeth. "Why did you not do anything?"

"I fought him," Jareth said through gritted teeth. "He is very strong; he drained a portion of my power, and I was unable to overpower him. I put a spell on him to keep him from leaving and then I brought Sarah and myself to safety."

"You should have killed him!" Glaedya said angrily. "That was the plan!"

"I assure you, Glaedya, if I could have done so, I would have. I attempted it. He is too strong for one." Jareth felt weak simply admitting this; he felt like he had failed.

"He really tried," Sarah defended him, sounding scared. "It was a terrible fight."

"Fine," Namir said shortly. "Then let us all go take care of him right now."

"I am afraid I cannot handle another trip between worlds at the moment," Jareth said, sounding annoyed but weak. "Until I am restored more fully, I must rest."

"The rest of us will go," Vezzeryn said. "It is not a problem."

"I…I am weary also," Firona said nervously.

"You?" Vezzeryn asked, turning his eyes on her. "Did you fight as well?"

"Well…not exactly…"

"She wasn't anywhere near us," Sarah said, confused.

"Shut up," Jareth said, so quietly she could barely hear, a warning in his voice, and Sarah obeyed at once, noticing his look. He had seemed quite suspicious of Firona earlier, and Sarah was a little, too, now.

"I merely believe I will not be of as much help to the rest of you as I ought to be, and perhaps you would be better without me," Firona said

"Fine by me," Namir said quickly. "We don't need a couple of fae helping us anyway."

"That's enough," Vezzeryn said sharply. "If you wish to remain behind, Firona, you may. We will return soon."

"I thank you, Vezzeryn," Jareth said, inclining his head toward the dragon. "Gods be with you."

"Thank you," Vezzeryn said. "Let's go." The rest of the Council left, leaving Jareth and Sarah alone with Firona.

"You had something to do with this," Jareth said angrily to Firona, who was not looking at him.

"Don't be stupid, of course I didn't," Firona snapped. "I'm very sorry about what happened." Sarah didn't think she sounded sorry at all.

"I _know_ you had something to do with it, Firona," Jareth spat. "Lucky for you, I don't have any firm proof, and so I can't do anything about it. Yet. When Maldonek is captured and it is found out, so help me, you will rue having anything to do with him."

Sarah had never heard Jareth's voice so deadly. Could Firona really have tried to get them killed? To return Maldonek to power? The idea scared Sarah a little.

"Think what you like, Jareth, I didn't have anything to do with it. I'm not going to sit and argue with you. They'll be back with him soon and you'll see I have done nothing," Firona sighed exasperatedly.

"Why did you stay here?" Sarah asked before she could help herself. Jareth reached a hand over to her and squeezed her arm in warning again – she knew he was trying to tell her not to anger the fae woman, but she couldn't stop herself asking.

"I've already told you, I am worn out," Firona said impatiently. "You do not know of the strength it takes to pass between the worlds, as Jareth," Sarah noticed she spat his name, "must use his own power to transport you." Sarah looked at Jareth, startled.

"Is that true? Is it harder to do it because of me?"

"Yes," Jareth sighed. "Only marginally. It is no cause for concern."

"I made you weaker before you had to fight him," Sarah whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry so much," Jareth said in a teasing tone, mimicking her earlier words. Sarah blushed.

"Yeah, I guess you had reason to," she admitted.

"It just goes to show that you should not doubt me," Jareth said with a small, tired laugh.

"Whatever you say, Goblin King," Sarah said, rolling her eyes but grinning all the same.

"Disgusting," Firona muttered, practically gagging at them.

"What was that?" Jareth asked coolly.

"Nothing," Firona said. "Just go back to your little conversation."

Jareth eyed her, though Firona still refused to look at him. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Shouldn't they have been back pretty quick?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, they should have," Jareth said. "I'm wondering what went wrong."

"Maybe he broke your spell?"

"He should not have had the power to do so," Jareth said. "And even if he did, I completely snapped his ankle. I don't believe he was up for running away."

"How's your throat?" Sarah asked softly, reaching up to stroke it gently.

"Sore, but no matter. It will be fine soon."

"I was afraid he had gotten you," Sarah confessed quietly.

"Ah, have you so little faith in me, my Sarah?" Jareth asked with a small grin.

"More like fear for you," Sarah corrected.

"Well, there's two parts down," Jareth laughed.

"Huh?"

"Fear me…love me…"

"Oh, god," Sarah said, rolling her eyes with a small laugh. At a time like this, that's what he was thinking of? "I said fear _for_ you, not fearing you."

"Good enough," Jareth grinned.

"You're impossible," Sarah said, unable to stop a grin crossing her face. She noticed Firona's disgusted look at them but decided to ignore her. Finally, the rest of the Council came back.

"He's gone," Al'denel said angrily as he strode into the room, followed by the others. "We couldn't find a trace of him or where he went."

"Gone?" Jareth asked incredulously. "How could he be gone?"

"Perhaps _your_ spell was too weak to contain a dragon?" Namir suggested as he settled himself into the room.

"My magic is just as powerful as yours, Namir," Jareth said severely. "You know that can't be what happened."

"Everyone, calm down," Vezzeryn said. "We don't need to fight over something so trivial. The fact remains that Maldonek is gone, and we must continue searching for him. Firona, you will come with us this time," he added in a commanding tone.

"But Vezzeryn-"

"You will assist us," Vezzeryn said, his tone making it clear that he was not to be challenged. "Jareth, you will return to your kingdom with the human Sarah and rest. Tomorrow you will both join us again."

"Excuse me," Sarah said, sounding very unsure of herself.

"Yes?" Vezzeryn said, turning to her.

"Um…I just wanted to maybe give you a little more information that could help," she said hesitantly, aware she had already interrupted.

"Please do," Vezzeryn said.

"Well, Jareth broke Seth's…Maldonek's…ankle," Sarah said. "Even without the spell holding him, he couldn't really walk or anything. Um…you might want to check the hospitals around the city."

"Hospitals?" Al'denel asked in confusion.

"Um…it's where they treat people, you know. Oh, like a healer!" Sarah said, remembering Veraina. "If someone gets sick or injured or something, they go to the hospital."

"Thank you for this information, Sarah," Vezzeryn said. Firona looked even more sour than before. "We will see you both tomorrow."

"Okay," Sarah said. The Council left, Firona casting one last dirty look back at the pair before walking out the door.

"Are you up for traveling back to the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked, her voice full of concern.

"I am, though I shall require rest after," Jareth admitted.

"That's okay," Sarah assured him. "You have all day."

"Thank you, my Sarah," Jareth said with a smile.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Firona pulled Eraeth in his human form aside as they were waiting on Eindar, who had gone into one of the hospitals in the city to see if Maldonek was there.

"What is it?" Eraeth sighed. He was tired of this game, he wanted it to be over with…and honestly, he thought wryly, what had Maldonek done wrong this time besides attempt to dispose of a despicable _human_? He could hardly be blamed.

"Look, I know you were friends with Maldonek a long time ago," Firona whispered. She wanted to make sure none of the rest of the group overheard; no one seemed to be paying them any attention anyway. "Do you want to help him?"

"What do you mean?" Eraeth asked, suspicious now.

"I mean that I have been trying to aid him in getting rid of the human," Firona said even more quietly.

"What? How?" Eraeth asked sharply.

"Shh!" Firona insisted, glancing around nervously; no one had even looked over at them. "Look, do you want everyone to hear? Come on. I found him yesterday, and went to see him last night."

"You lied," Eraeth accused. "You said he wasn't there."

"Of course I lied," Firona said. "The human needs to be done away with, and Maldonek's already a prime suspect. It's the perfect plot."

"Well, I can't say I disagree with you," Eraeth admitted. "But how do you plan to help him?"

"I tried to get the girl up here alone this morning," Firona sighed.

"I noticed," Eraeth said, raising an eyebrow. "The entire court did."

"I know," Firona said, frustrated. "Jareth was useless."

"As you should have suspected he would be," Eraeth pointed out.

"I know," Firona said again. "It was Maldonek's idea. It was the best I had to go on."

"So do you know where he is now?"

"He did say he was going to go to the hospital," Firona said. "I, of course, lifted the spell Jareth put on him to stop him from moving, but I couldn't heal him…he had little choice."

"And you don't know where?" Eraeth asked in disappointment; if only they could get this over with faster!

"No," Firona said. "He just said it was a hospital, and it was full of barbarians who provided treatment," she explained. "Even once we find him…I don't know what to do."

"I've got an idea," Eraeth said quietly. They discussed their plans away from the rest, unnoticed.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jareth transported them straight into the bedchamber, and he looked so weak it scared Sarah a little.

"Jareth…you're freaking me out a little."

"Why is that?" he asked, cocking his head to one side as he eased himself down on the bed, removing his boots and gloves.

"You just look…so totally worn out."

"It is nothing to worry about. It takes more effort to come into a private area, such as my bedchamber, than it does to, say, the front of the castle or the throne room where the public is generally allowed."

"Then why did you bring us here?" Sarah asked in concern.

"I preferred the loss of more of my strength to get me straight to my bed," Jareth confessed. "It was easier than having to walk through the castle."

"If magic wears you out so bad, isn't it dangerous to perform it?"

"Magic itself isn't so bad," Jareth said tiredly. "Here. Sit with me, and I will explain," he offered, patting the bed next to him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get Veraina or anything first?" she asked.

"I will be fine," Jareth smiled. "Please don't worry yourself over me. There is nothing she can do for me; I need to rest and not perform any magic for a little while, and I will be good as new."

"Okay," Sarah said, still unsure but settling herself on the bed with him. "Well then…go ahead and tell me what's going on, because this all seems really weird. You weren't so weakened by doing magic while I was running the Labyrinth…if anything, it made you more dangerous," she snorted.

"It's true I wasn't weakened by it," Jareth agreed with a grin. "But I was never a true danger to you."

"If you say so," Sarah teased.

"Anyway," Jareth went on. "The first part of why that was so easy for me is simply that it is within my kingdom. I use relatively little magic to accomplish things here, merely because it is my own."

"That sounds reasonable," Sarah said.

"Now, for the reason I have been weakened so greatly today," Jareth continued. "It is a combination of many things, actually. You remember me telling you that traveling between the worlds, particularly in the daytime, takes a great deal of effort." Sarah nodded. "Well, I've now done that for three days in a row; that normally does not happen, as I am typically here in the Underground at all times. To have it happen so much at once is quite draining in itself. Added to that part is what Firona said to you; it takes more power to transport another life with yourself, which I have just done twice in the space of an hour."

"I'm sorry," Sarah said quickly. "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't," Jareth smiled reassuringly. "I do not blame you; I knew of it when I did it. Regardless, it does take more effort, and on top of the rest of it, I honestly was not in top shape while fighting Maldonek today."

"That's terrible," Sarah whispered.

"But, we are both fine," Jareth reminded her before she could get too upset. "Another factor is that it is more difficult to use magic Aboveground; the magic that I performed up there was difficult at any rate. It is one thing to conjure a crystal or a trick snake," he said with a slight smile, "and quite another to form a shield or magically attack an enemy."

"Would that be difficult down here, too?" Sarah asked.

"It is still difficult magic, yes," Jareth said. "But it would not have near the same effect on the caster as it does Aboveground. To make it simple…being around the magic that exists in the world of the Underground makes everything much easier. That magic does not exist Aboveground, so it is harder to summon it. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," Sarah said. "Perfectly."

"Good," Jareth smiled. "Well, with everything I've explained, I was already in a much more weakened state than I would normally be, though I was still able to handle myself. Then, too, there was the physical fight; Maldonek is very strong, and physical exertion weakened me further. What truly weakened me to the point that everything else made as much of a difference as it did was that Maldonek drained so much of my power. It was unthinkable how much he managed to take from me, and how quickly."

"So, it wasn't normal for that to happen or something? It sounds like that's a pretty easy way to defeat your enemy if you're able to do that."

"Firstly, it is only dragons that are able to take power that way. Fae can take power in the form of love, but it strengthens the giver and the taker equally. Dragons are the only beings capable of such a feat. Second, it is very, very rare for a magical being to fight physically. Maldonek had no choice, obviously, as he had no magic to use against me. But most battles fought in the Underground are fought exclusively with magic, not with hand-to-hand combat. So it is unlikely for this to happen. Not to mention dragons are generally so much larger than anything they would fight…taking power from their prey is wholly unnecessary."

"Oh," Sarah said, processing all this. "So you're so exhausted because of what he took from you, then. And he was able to take it just by touching you."

"Yes, because I am a fae," Jareth said.

"But you'll recover quickly, even though part of the reason you were weakened before he did that is because you kept traveling between worlds, which you've just done today and will be doing again tomorrow."

"Unfortunately, that's all true," Jareth smirked. "However, I will be taking the rest of the day to rest, unlike the previous two days where I was Aboveground most of the day. Resting, particularly while I am in my kingdom, will restore me quickly."

"Good," Sarah said, reaching up to take his hand and squeeze it gently. "I'm glad." There was a pause as she looked down at their clasped hands, rubbing her thumb over his fingers. "Would you like me to get lunch? I'm starving."

"That is an excellent idea," Jareth grinned. "But I can conjure it for us."

"Nuh-uh," Sarah said, shaking her head. "No way. You're supposed to be resting; you aren't going to do magic."

"Sarah," Jareth laughed, "it will hardly overtax me."

"I don't care, you're not doing it. Not for something so trivial; I can easily go to the kitchens and get us something."

"Sarah, I am the Goblin King," Jareth said, his tone imperious. "I don't need to be told what to do."

"Well, I'm the girlfriend of the Goblin King, and I'm worried about him," Sarah said, attempting to make her tone every bit as imperious as his had been.

"Girlfriend?" Jareth asked, cocking his head, distracted.

"Well…it's close enough, isn't it?" Sarah mumbled, turning red.

"I'm afraid I don't understand the term fully," Jareth said.

"Oh," Sarah said. "Um…it just means…you know, like dating."

"Ah. Courting, I believe?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, familiar with the term. "Courting."

"Then yes," Jareth smiled. "I believe it is a fitting term." Sarah smiled in return.

"Well now that we're on the same page…I'll go find us lunch. I'll be right back. Please don't do any magic," she added, her eyes pleading.

"Oh, alright," Jareth sighed. "If it means that much to you."

"Thank you," Sarah said happily, kissing his cheek as she got up. "I'll be back soon." She thought she could remember the way, and knew even if she couldn't a goblin would help her. To her surprise, however, she ran into Veraina about halfway to the kitchens.

"Oh, hello, Sarah!" Veraina smiled brightly. "I thought you were going to be gone today?"

"We were," Sarah replied. "It's kind of a long story. I'm just grabbing some lunch to take up to Jareth."

"Is he ill?" Veraina asked worriedly. The king did not care for being taken care of in such a manner.

"Just really weak," Sarah said. "Come on and walk with me, I'll explain."

As they walked to the kitchens, Sarah explained everything that had happened that morning to Veraina.

"So he's in his room, resting, and I made him promise not to do any magic."

"I'm sure he was happy about that," Veraina laughed.

"You can imagine," Sarah giggled. "Anyway…I'm hoping food will help."

"It will," Veraina assured her. "And try not to worry too much about him; he will recover quickly, being back here in his castle. And with you around," Veraina smiled.

"So…do you have anything that will help?" Sarah asked as they left, Sarah carrying a large tray of food.

"I have a restorative draft that would help some," Veraina said. "He's usually too stubborn to bother with them, though."

"Can you give it to me?" Sarah asked.

"Of course," Veraina said. She rummaged in the bag she had over her shoulder and pulled out a small flask. "Here."

"Thanks," Sarah smiled. "Any other advice?"

"Just let him rest," Veraina said. "That's really all you can do. And keep trying to make sure he doesn't do magic, though I imagine that is futile," she added with a laugh.

"Probably," Sarah agreed.

"I did have another thought as you were telling me about it all, though," Veraina said thoughtfully. "You remember what you told me about his amulet…and how he said it felt so strong after you wore it?"

"Yeah," Sarah said.

"Well…I'm not completely sure how this works, as I've never given mine to anyone, but you could try putting it on again for a while, and see if it strengthens again."

"You think so?"

"Perhaps," Veraina said. "I'm honestly not sure. But it couldn't hurt. Just wait until after you eat. If he's actually that weak…he may not be able to even stay awake without it."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Thanks a lot, Veraina, I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Veraina replied with a smile. "I hope he gets well soon."

"Me, too," Sarah said.

"Well, I've got to go, I was headed into the city," Veraina said. "I'll talk to you later." They said goodbye and Sarah continued up to Jareth's room.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Jareth lay in his bed after Sarah left, a lot weighing on his mind. He didn't want to worry Sarah more than she already was, but he felt weaker than he had in a long time. He wasn't one to sit idly by and let others do the work for him. Even knowing how powerless he was, it was difficult to stay behind while the rest of the Council went to look for Maldonek. If he hadn't been so weak, he would have insisted on going along himself, but he knew he truly wouldn't be able to handle it. And he was unwilling to put Sarah in danger by taking her Aboveground and being unable to protect her adequately.

He hadn't cared for being told not to do any magic, or being told what to do, but it was nearly impossible to resist his Sarah. And she looked so worried about him…he didn't want to cause her worry. It wasn't _so_ bad when it was coming from her, anyway.

Their mutual confessions the night before had thrilled him, and he had thrived on the power that had given him despite his current weakness. She loved him, and she wanted to stay with him; completely with him, she didn't even want a separate room. He had been sure it would take much longer for her to warm up to him that much. Perhaps he underestimated the power of love in humans.

"Miss me?" Sarah asked as she shut the door behind her, smiling at him.

"Of course," Jareth smiled at the sight of her. She set the tray down on his lap and settled back on the bed next to him again. "What is this?" he asked, holding up the small red flask.

"A restorative draft," Sarah said. "And I don't want to hear it," she added as he opened his mouth; she knew he was going to argue. "Veraina said it would help you a little, and I want to help you."

"You're quite bossy, did you know that?"

"I've never had anyone to boss before, so no, I didn't know it," Sarah said with a grin.

"Well, you are," Jareth said with a smirk.

"Well you're just going to have to get used to it, aren't you?" Sarah laughed.

"I suppose it could be worse," Jareth said.

"I'm only pushy because I care about you, you know."

"I do know," Jareth said. "I don't, however, care much for you running to my healer after I said it wasn't necessary."

"For your information, I didn't go running to her," Sarah informed him. "I ran into her on the way to the kitchens; she was on her way into the city."

"Oh," Jareth said. "Well, alright then."

"She said she hopes you're better soon, by the way."

"As do I," Jareth commented. They ate in silence for a few moments.

"She had another suggestion," Sarah said, and she sounded hesitant.

"Go on," Jareth said, interested.

"Well…I told her yesterday about what happened with your amulet. She thought maybe…if I wore it again…it might strengthen it more."

"An interesting possibility," Jareth said. "I was under the impression you were displeased with its power, however. I wouldn't want you to do that to yourself again."

"I don't mind," Sarah said quickly. "I mean…I minded before, but…only because I didn't understand it. And didn't know how to feel about it."

"And you're more certain now?"

"I'm certain of my feelings…it's not putting anything out in the open I didn't already know this time," Sarah snorted. "And…" she continued more softly, "if it will make you stronger…nothing else about it matters much, does it?"

"That…is very kind of you to say, my Sarah," Jareth said quietly. "Thank you."

"I know it sounds kind of far-fetched," Sarah said. "But I thought it would be worth a try. If you wanted to, of course…Veraina did tell me it would weaken you more."

"And she is quite correct," Jareth agreed. "I will most likely do nothing but sleep without it."

"And what else did you have planned to do this afternoon?" Sarah asked teasingly.

"I wouldn't want to leave you on your own," Jareth said. "I don't want to bore you."

"I won't be bored," Sarah assured him. "Veraina showed me the library; I could find a book."

"Of course," Jareth smiled. "You enjoy reading, I forgot."

"Yeah," Sarah said. "I haven't really read any good books in years. Mine were all left behind when my dad and stepmother kicked me out. Even the little Labyrinth book," she said sadly.

"I'm very sad to hear that, my Sarah," Jareth said softly. "If there is any way I can help restore your collection…"

"Thanks," Sarah smiled. "I'll see."

"In the meantime…feel free to use my library as much as you wish."

"Thank you," Sarah said as she finished eating. "Take that," she said, pointing to the flask. Jareth grudgingly obeyed, swallowing the contents before putting it back down on the tray.

"Sarah, I must ask you one thing," Jareth said, his tone serious.

"What's that?"

"If, gods forbid, anything should occur while I am sleeping without the use of my amulet…you must place it back on me at once and do everything in your power to wake me, alright?"

"Okay," Sarah said, sounding worried. "Do you think something will happen?"

"No, I do not believe there is anything to worry about," Jareth assured her. "However…just in case."

"Of course I will, Jareth, don't worry," Sarah promised.

Jareth lifted the amulet over his head and placed it around her neck instead. He instantly felt his energy drain as he slumped back against the pillows.

"Thank you," Sarah whispered, leaning over to kiss him softly. "Rest well."

"Thank you, my Sarah," Jareth whispered before falling into unconsciousness.

Sarah gathered the tray and took it back to the kitchens before browsing the large library, finding several interesting books that she gathered to take back up to the room so she could be with Jareth. She noticed that now she knew what the amulet did, she felt somehow warmer while wearing it, as though it were giving _her_ strength. Whatever it was doing, it made her feel quite happier, and she wanted to enjoy it while she could.

When she got back to the room she decided to put on more comfortable pajamas if she was just going to be lounging around there the rest of the day. As she settled back onto the bed next to Jareth's sleeping form, scooting as close to him as she could manage, she selected a book from the stack she had brought up and started reading.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Several hours later, Jareth awoke to find Sarah snoring lightly and slumped over on him, an open book in her lap. He grinned in amusement, picking up the book and noticing it was one of his own favorites. He marked the spot it had fallen open to and set it aside before shaking her gently.

"Hmm?" Sarah mumbled, opening her eyes and looking confused. "Oh, hi," she said with a sleepy smile.

"Hello," Jareth smiled back. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Huh…ah…yeah, I guess so," Sarah said with a small laugh. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I assume you're doing better, since you woke up on your own?"

"I am," Jareth assured her. "Thank you."

"Good," Sarah smiled. "Oh, and here, I'm sure I've done all to this I can by this point," she said, taking the amulet from around her neck. Ready for it this time, she felt the slight little tug as she took it off, but she also felt a certain warmth inside her that made her smile.

"Thank you," Jareth said, lowering his head for her to slip it around his neck. He gasped sharply and shut his eyes as it settled around him; it was an intense feeling, and he knew right away it had worked.

"Did it change?"

"Yes," Jareth sighed, his eyes still closed. "It is much stronger. Thank you, my Sarah."

"Anytime," Sarah grinned. "I'm glad it's so easy to help you. Are you feeling normal again?"

"I am feeling excellent," Jareth smiled. "So excellent, in fact, that I am loathe to waste my evening lying idly in bed."

"What would you like to do instead?" Sarah asked, smiling back. Jareth got out of bed, standing up and stretching slightly; Sarah noticed his well-muscled torso as he did so, and fantasized for a moment about running her hands over it.

"I thought, perhaps," Jareth said, shaking her out of her thoughts and standing up straight, "my lady might like to join me for dinner?"

Sarah laughed. "Of course, my…" she paused, unsure what to put here. If she was his lady, what was he? "Um…I'm not sure what fits there," she admitted with an embarrassed grin.

"My subjects usually refer to me as 'sire', if that would do," Jareth said, raising an eyebrow in challenge. He wasn't sure if she'd say it, not technically being one of his subjects.

"Then…of course I would love to, sire," Sarah said, grinning at the surprise on his face. It sent a thrill through him for her to address him as such. "I think I should get changed, though," she added with a laugh. "I doubt this is appropriate for a king's dining hall."

"Probably not," Jareth laughed. "Though you, my Sarah, could get away with more than most." She blushed slightly.

"Well, I'll just get dressed then," she said, getting off the bed herself. "Is there anything in particular I should wear?"

"It is just the two of us, unless perhaps Veraina joins us, so you may dress however you like."

"Okay," she said, selecting a nice dress from the wardrobe. "I think maybe I need one of these for my own," she remarked, referencing the overstuffed wardrobe.

"I am working on it," Jareth informed her. "It will be here as soon as the goblins have it completed."

"Oh," she said in surprise. "Well…thanks. Um…I'll be out in a minute," she added. She grabbed the hairbrush and took her dress into the bathroom to change in there. It was a very lavish bathroom; it had a large tub sunk into the corner and a separate sort of dressing area with a full-length mirror and a chaise.

She brushed her teeth to get the gross post-nap feeling out of her mouth, then slipped the red dress with gold accents over her. She brushed her hair out and decided to try and style it a little bit before remembering she didn't have any of her hair pins or anything with her – they were all at her old house. Then she remembered an old trick her mother had shown her for how to pull it around and tie it slightly so it stayed put without any clips; she had forgotten about it, not having done it in years, but it worked well enough for the evening. Twirling in front of the full-length mirror, she decided she looked presentable enough and went back out into the bedroom to slip on her shoes. Jareth was waiting for her, his own clothes changed and looking quite fresh.

"You look lovely, my Sarah," Jareth said, bowing to her slightly and kissing her hand. She blushed at the romantic gesture.

"Thanks," she said. "You look pretty good, too," she added with a grin as she went to retrieve her shoes.

"Thank you," Jareth smiled. "Also…I had forgotten about this, but I thought perhaps you might like to have it," he added, holding out his hand. As she looked, he opened it to reveal her mother's necklace – the one she had dropped on the floor that morning.

"You…wait…how did you get this?" she asked in disbelief. "I dropped it this morning."

"I know," Jareth said. "I managed to grab it for you before I transported us back. I had forgotten it until now."

"Thank you, Jareth," she said softly, looking up at him. "I really, really appreciate it." She knew it must have cost him something to have let his concentration waver even for long enough to grab it while fighting Seth.

"You are most welcome, my Sarah," Jareth said. He unclasped it and motioned for her to turn around; she did so and he clasped it around her neck. When she turned back around, he smiled at her.

"Beautiful," he said, and it was obvious he meant more than the necklace. "I presume it is important to you."

"It's the only thing of my own I truly have anymore," Sarah said, her eyes slightly damp. "I was wearing it when my dad and stepmother kicked me out. It belonged to my mother."

"Then it is quite special," Jareth said softly.

"It is," Sarah smiled. She finished slipping on her shoes and when she stood back up, Jareth offered her his arm.

"May I escort you to the dining hall?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her, looking every bit the king he was.

"Please," Sarah said politely, taking his arm and smiling at him. They walked companionably down to dinner where they found Veraina was sitting at the table already.

"Oh, hello, Your Majesty…Lady Sarah," Veraina said with a polite smile. "I will be on my way."

"Oh, don't leave for us," Sarah said. "You can stay." Veraina tried to hide a giggle at Jareth's look of consternation; he certainly wasn't used to someone else giving orders in his castle. "Oh…uh…sorry," Sarah said sheepishly, noticing Jareth's look as well.

"It's alright," Veraina said, still trying to contain her laughter. "I really don't mind."

"No, Veraina, please do join us," Jareth said graciously. "Obviously Sarah would enjoy your company," he smirked, "and I do not mind."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Veraina said, relaxing back into her chair.

"Sorry," Sarah murmured again as Jareth led her to her seat.

"It is fine," Jareth said quietly with a slight smile. "You are not used to the way I run my castle; it is understandable. And I shall have to learn to accept your opinions as well."

"You look well, Your Majesty," Veraina said.

"Thank you, Veraina; I am quite well, in fact," Jareth smiled at her as he took his own seat after seating Sarah. "I thank you for your potion."

"She actually got you to take it then?" Veraina laughed.

"He still wasn't happy about it," Sarah smirked. "But it seems to have helped. So did your idea about the amulet…thanks."

"You're welcome," Veraina said. "I'm glad to hear it worked that way."

They chatted while they ate, and Veraina mentioned that she liked Sarah's hairstyle. Sarah explained that she didn't have any of her hair things or makeup or anything like that with her anymore, and Veraina offered to take her out to buy them.

"You must have things to make you feel pretty, of course," Veraina grinned.

"Thanks," Sarah smiled. "I uh…I don't really have any money though." She hadn't really thought about this before; food had been provided for her in the castle so far, and Jareth had insisted on her wardrobe, but she was certainly without any money of her own to buy such things with.

"I shall purchase anything you wish to have, Sarah," Jareth said. "Don't worry yourself over it."

"Thanks, Jareth," Sarah said, "but no way." Jareth looked startled.

"Pardon me?" he said in total confusion. "Why not?"

"You're not going to just buy everything for me while I don't do anything to earn it," she said firmly. "That's how it was with Seth, he bought anything I really needed, and then nothing was actually mine. There has to be some way I can make a living down here."

Jareth understood what she was saying. His wealth practically belonged to her as well, in his mind; she was to be his queen one day, at least he hoped so. He felt it a bad idea to bring this up to her now, however, so he didn't really know how to answer her.

"I…am not really sure what there might be for you to do," Jareth said hesitantly. He didn't want to offend or upset her, but he couldn't think of any sort of job for her. The goblins and other residents of the Labyrinth took care of his kingdom. He had no real need for an aide.

"Sarah…you could be my assistant," Veraina said as the idea came to her.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Well, I know you can't do magic, but I could teach you how to mix potions and things like that, the stuff that doesn't require magic!" Veraina said, sounding excited now. "Oh, it could be fun! What do you think, Jareth, is there room for an apprentice healer on your payroll?"

Jareth considered the idea. It wasn't a bad one. It would give Sarah something to do, and let her earn money the way she preferred. He knew she would enjoy being able to be useful as well, being able to prepare potions and such.

"I'm sure I could find a place for such a position," Jareth said. "Would this interest you, Sarah?"

"Wow…yeah, it really would!" Sarah said. "It would be fascinating to learn about all that!"

"Good," Jareth said. "That's settled then."

"Thanks!" Sarah said excitedly. "And thank you, Veraina! Wow, this will be cool. When do I start? What do I do?"

"I believe your assistance will still be required for our current situation," Jareth reminded her.

"Oh, yeah," Sarah said, having momentarily forgotten. "Damn."

"As soon as that is taken care of, I have no problem with you beginning right away," Jareth assured her.

"Okay," she said. "Is that alright, Veraina?"

"Of course it is," Veraina said. "Don't worry, I'll have plenty for you to do. The goblins are always getting themselves injured; it is quite a job."

"Cool," Sarah grinned. "I can't wait."

"Sire," interrupted a goblin suddenly.

"Yes?" Jareth replied, looking down at the goblin.

"There is a dragon at the gate. He says he would like to speak with you." Sarah squeaked in alarm, but Jareth placed a calming hand on her arm.

"Did he give you his name?" Jareth asked.

"It is the Elder Dragon, Vezzeryn," the goblin informed him. "He says it's urgent."

"You may tell him I will be there momentarily," Jareth said, and the goblin scurried off. "Do not be worried, Sarah," he said, kissing her fingers gently. "Vezzeryn will not harm me."

"It's Maldonek I'm worried about," Sarah muttered.

"And it isn't Maldonek," Jareth said with a reassuring smile. "They look entirely different; Maldonek would not be able to appear as Vezzeryn."

"Be careful," Sarah pleaded.

"Don't worry," Jareth said again. "I'll return shortly." He strode quickly out of the room.

"I hope nothing's gone wrong," Sarah said worriedly to Veraina.

"Me, too," Veraina said, looking concerned herself.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"What has happened, Vezzeryn?" Jareth asked as soon as he reached the dragon. He was more worried than he had let on to Sarah; he didn't think the dragon would have come to see him if nothing was wrong.

"We have found Maldonek," Vezzeryn replied hesitantly.

"So, has the problem been taken care of?" Jareth asked, though without any real hope the answer would be 'yes'.

"Not quite," Vezzeryn said heavily. "There has been a complication."

"What is it? Is Sarah in danger?" Jareth asked quickly.

"No," Vezzeryn said, cocking his head at Jareth. "Not exactly, anyway. You know," he continued, "I believe Firona may have been right. You _are_ in love with her, aren't you?"

"Yes," Jareth said, his voice challenging.

"Calm down," Vezzeryn replied, a slight smile on his dragon face. "I do not care. You are free to love whom you wish. I merely found it interesting."

"Get on with it, will you?" Jareth said tightly. "What is the problem? Where is he?"

"Unfortunately, he is in fact in a hospital, as Sarah suggested."

"So, get him there. It can't be hard."

"It is more difficult than we thought. They have strict rules at the hospital, and people are always watching. The only one allowed in to see him is someone from his family, until he is ready to leave on his own."

"He won't stay there long. Who is his family?" Jareth asked, momentarily forgetting that he had no real family.

Vezzeryn paused, knowing Jareth was not going to like the answer. "Sarah."

"Damn it," Jareth hissed, realizing. Of course he had no other family; he was a dragon, not a human.

"Yes," Vezzeryn sighed. "It is a problem. I don't believe he is going to want to leave the hospital until he is fully healed; he must know we cannot access him there, and he knows it will be harder to fight if he is injured. For the time being, we are unable to get to him."

"And you want Sarah to get him out for us."

"It would be helpful, yes," Vezzeryn said carefully.

"No," Jareth said immediately. "Absolutely not. She will not go in there alone."

"Obviously not," Vezzeryn said easily. "We will have someone to accompany her."

"Then I will do it."

"That would not be ideal," Vezzeryn said. "You are a fae; you look quite different from most humans and would easily stand out to them. We do not want to draw attention. Firona offered, as well-"

"You've got to be joking!" Jareth cried. "She's as much fae as I am, and she is absolutely not escorting Sarah anywhere without my supervision!"

"If you will please calm down," Vezzeryn said sharply. "As you said, she is also a fae, and would not be ideal. The elves would also draw unwanted attention."

"So it would be a dragon," Jareth spat. Vezzeryn looked affronted.

"Do not scoff at my kind, King Jareth. I am trying to come up with a solution."

"I apologize, Vezzeryn," Jareth said at once, regretting his words. "I did not mean offense to you. Namir and Eraeth clearly dislike her, however, and I do not trust anyone who is so anti-human to protect her adequately."

"I am aware of that," Vezzeryn said, still sounding slightly perturbed. "I was going to offer to go myself."

"Ah," Jareth said, looking slightly humbled. "My apologies."

"Accepted," Vezzeryn replied smoothly. "At any rate, nothing can be done until morning; they have specialized visiting hours. We are attempting to come up with a clear plan."

"Before any further plans are made," Jareth said, raising an eyebrow, "I believe Sarah should be consulted. She may be unwilling anyway."

"That is true," Vezzeryn agreed. "Is she available right now?"

"We were having dinner," Jareth said. "I'll fetch her." He turned and strode off, highly annoyed. He didn't like this idea one bit. He trusted Vezzeryn; as the Elder Dragon of the High Council, he was wise, tolerant, and quite capable. However, with his Sarah…it was hard to trust anyone but himself.

Sarah followed Jareth outside, worried by the angry look on Jareth's face, but he wouldn't say anything until they were stopped in front of the dragon. Somehow, Sarah didn't know if it was because she was simply becoming used to Vezzeryn, he looked smaller and more approachable. They stopped in front of Vezzeryn and Jareth began to explain.

"Vezzeryn has informed me that Maldonek was found. He is in a hospital, as you said. However, we are unable to reach him; they have their own security measures, and apparently only a family member is able to get to him in there."

"I'm his only family member," Sarah said, then realized what that meant. "Oh."

"You will not be going alone," Vezzeryn informed her. "I will be coming with you."

"You?" Sarah asked in amazement. "Why not Jareth?"

"Jareth is a fae – he will attract far more attention than we would prefer; he is too memorable."

"And a great big red _dragon_ isn't going to get anyone's attention," Sarah said, eyebrow raised. Jareth's lips twitched and Vezzeryn laughed.

"Of course I will not be going in this form," Vezzeryn assured her. "I cannot enter the Aboveground as a dragon; the journey turns me into my human form. Just as I cannot be a human in the Underground; the return journey will return me to my dragon form."

"Oh," Sarah said. "Well, I guess that makes sense. How would I explain who you are, though?"

"That is part of what we need to plan tonight," Vezzeryn admitted. "If the two of you will consent to come with me, we are meeting at the Hall of the High Council right away to discuss this mission."

"I'm okay with it," Sarah said, looking quickly to Jareth. "But can you…"

"Of course I can, Sarah," Jareth said, mildly amused. "I am very well rested, and trips within the Underground are not nearly so taxing. Don't worry. We will join you there in a moment, Vezzeryn."

"Thank you, Jareth," Vezzeryn said. He walked a short distance away and spread his massive wings, taking flight. Sarah gasped at how much more massive he looked when he spread his wings; she'd never seen him fly before.

"Come with me, Sarah," Jareth said quietly after Vezzeryn had gone, turning back into the castle. She nearly jogged to keep up with his long strides.

"I thought we were going to the Council?" she said.

"We are," he assured her. "I just want to do something first." He led her back to his rooms where he approached a cupboard Sarah had not seen open before and took something out of it. She saw a large knife in his hands when he turned back around.

"What's this for?" Sarah asked in alarm. "Do you think we're going to be attacked or something?"

"Let's just say that I am unsure," Jareth said carefully. "I don't want to take any chances, and I do not trust Firona…among some of the others. I simply wish you to carry this…if you don't have to use it, all the better, but I don't want you entirely unable to defend yourself."

"Me?" Sarah squeaked; she had assumed it was for Jareth himself.

"Of course," Jareth said. He had strode over to the bureau and dug in a drawer, pulling out a long strap that he threaded through the sheath of the knife. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "I don't want it visible. Strap this around your thigh."

"You're crazy," Sarah said in disbelief, taking the knife. "Are you kidding? I'm supposed to wear this around my thigh?"

"Would you prefer to carry it in your hand, drawn, and tell everyone you wish to fight?" Jareth asked, exasperated. "Yes, strap it around your thigh."

"Can't I wear pants and a belt or something?" she asked.

"I've already told you," Jareth said, starting to sound impatient. "I don't want it visible. If it is visible to everyone, it would hardly be a surprise weapon if you did need to use it…and surprise is of the utmost importance for a human facing any magical being."

"Jareth, you're scaring me," Sarah said nervously. "What is with all the worry?"

"I cannot help being worried for you, my Sarah," Jareth said gently, putting a hand on each of her shoulders. "I do not plan for anything to happen, I wouldn't even say I expect it. But I don't want to take chances. Strap it to your thigh under your dress; no one will know it's there and it will be easily accessible to you should you need it."

"Okay," Sarah said shakily. "You're sounding like we're going into battle."

"I don't mean to frighten you," he said gently, "but I want you to be on your guard. At any rate, you should get used to the way it feels, because you'll be taking it tomorrow."

"Uh, Jareth?" Sarah said. "I don't think I feel very good about having a knife where Seth can grab it."

"If all goes well, he won't know it's there," Jareth said. Sarah had fastened the strap around her thigh and dropped her dress.

"Good?" she asked.

"Very good," Jareth said. "I can't tell at all that it's there."

"Okay," Sarah said, steeling herself. "Let's go."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It took several hours, but finally, an idea for a plan was reached. No trouble was caused, though Firona shot them both dirty looks the whole meeting. Sarah had gratefully removed the knife when they got back to the castle; she didn't like wearing it.

"I really don't think I could handle wearing a dress like that in any kind of battle," Sarah said as they collapsed tiredly onto the bed, Sarah now in her pajamas and Jareth in pajama bottoms, bare chested. She crawled into his arms and yawned. "I would prefer wearing pants and having a weapon around my waist. Like a sword or something."

"Are you planning on fighting many battles?" Jareth asked, amused.

"Well, I hope not," Sarah laughed. "But I just don't feel like this little knife is going do much against, say, a dragon."

"Well, if our plan works, you won't be fighting a dragon, at least not one in its true form," Jareth reminded her.

"Yeah, but if it doesn't work," she said more quietly. "You never know."

"I will not let you remain unprotected, my Sarah," Jareth assured her. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out for you in the morning."

"Thanks," Sarah yawned again.

"Sleep well," Jareth said quietly.

"You too," Sarah whispered.

The plan was in place. The entire Council would come Aboveground and wait at the house. Sarah would accompany Vezzeryn, posing as her father, to the hospital and get to Seth so they could get him out. The two of them would bring Seth back to the house where the Council was waiting to incapacitate him before returning him to the Underground so they could more effectively deal with him.

Jareth was very, very worried. He wanted so badly to be with her the whole time, but he knew that for everything to work, he had to stay at the house and let her go alone with Vezzeryn. He would be waiting just inside the house, the first to see her when she came back.

It wasn't good enough. But it would have to do.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jareth asked quietly just before they left the castle the next day. "You can still change your mind."

"No," Sarah said fiercely. "I'm going, and we're getting rid of him. He's done enough to me." She was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, having explained to Jareth that showing up in a Renaissance-style dress would certainly attract the attention they so wanted to avoid. He compromised by letting her wear jeans, but having the knife in the pocket of the jeans and performing a complicated concealment spell so that it was not visible. He himself was wearing a sword; unusual for a magical being, but he wanted to take no chances.

"Alright," he said. "Just please…be very careful."

"I will," Sarah assured him, turning to look into his eyes. "Worry about what happens when we get him back; he's going to put up a fight. Be ready for him."

"I will be," Jareth promised. He paused, pulling her to him in an embrace. "I love you, my Sarah," he murmured in her ear. "Please don't let me lose you." He couldn't bear the thought of it.

"I love you, too, my Jareth," Sarah said, teasingly adding the 'my' as he always did to her name. It made him smile, which was her intent. "Come on. Let's go kick Maldonek's butt and get this over with."

"Indeed," Jareth said with an amused grin at her phrasing. He took them to the Hall of the High Council where they were to meet everyone else first.

They arrived to hear raised voices coming from inside the main room. They looked uneasily at one another and stepped inside, seeing Al'denel arguing loudly with Namir while several others looked on. Sarah realized that only Firona and Vezzeryn were missing.

"If she has disappeared, we should not continue with the mission!" Al'denel was saying heatedly. "Without the power of the entire Council, it is dangerous!"

"Perhaps it is for you, _elf_," Namir sneered, "but I believe we dragons can handle ourselves, thank you very much. We don't need the assistance of a fae woman, nor do we require the assistance of your kind if you don't wish to give it."

"Your arrogance is disgusting, Namir," Al'denel spat. "You may be dragons, but so is Maldonek. It does not matter. You need great power to take him down-"

"Power which we can achieve on our own!" Namir roared, fire spurting out his nose and singeing Al'denel's white robes.

"Namir!" Jareth barked. "Calm yourself!" Al'denel looked livid as he examined his burned robes. Namir growled but said nothing more.

"You'll pay for that, dragon," Al'denel said angrily.

"Do not make things worse, Al'denel," Jareth said sharply. "We do not need to waste our energy fighting one another today. Our world is at stake; if you must go at each other, wait until a trivial time."

"Fine," Al'denel choked out, apparently consumed with rage.

"What has happened? Who is missing?"

"Firona," Glaedya spoke up. "She has not come. Vezzeryn went to get her, but she was not found. He's looking for her now."

"I knew she was up to something," Jareth said, highly annoyed. "This is ridiculous."

"I believe, in light of missing one of our number, we should wait," Al'denel said, having calmed himself slightly.

"So I heard," Jareth said. "Ultimately it will be up to Vezzeryn. However, I do not feel that lacking only one of us should stop us; we have an opportunity here, and we ought to take it. I don't believe the lack of Firona's power will be of much importance."

"Of course it won't," Namir snapped. "That's what I was saying. We could do it on our own."

"Namir, powerful you may be, but regardless it will take great power to return him to our world, particularly in the daytime."

"Fine," Namir said, turning away. "Have it your own way."

"She is not to be found," Vezzeryn said, suddenly coming into the Hall. "We shall carry on without her."

"Vezzeryn, we may want to take time to rethink our plans," Jareth cautioned. "If we do not know where Firona is, we don't know what she might be doing. If she is helping him…"

"Jareth, I know you don't trust her," Vezzeryn said, sounding tired. "But this is her home as well; she would not risk its destruction."

"Whatever you say, Vezzeryn," Jareth said, inclining his head at the dragon. "I still urge everyone to be cautious."

"What could she do to any of us?" Eindar asked, nearly laughing. "Forgive me, Jareth, but she _is_ a fae…"

"Eindar, do not start with me," Jareth said, his voice low and dangerous. "I would be happy to show you the full power of a fae, but now is not the time. We need to focus. If this goes wrong, Maldonek could end up with the chance to destroy our world."

"Then it better not go wrong," Eindar said, looking pointedly at Sarah.

"Don't worry," Sarah said coolly, staring right back at Eindar, refusing to be intimidated. "I've got _my_ part handled."

Jareth felt a fierce pride in her for standing up to the elf that way. She certainly didn't behave like she was "merely" a human. But then, she had always been like that; at fifteen, had she shown any regard whatsoever for the fact that he was a fae? Of course not.

"Let's get going," Vezzeryn said quickly. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

A few minutes later, everyone was gathered at Sarah's house Aboveground, ready to go. She shared one last look with Jareth, trying to comfort him with her eyes before leaving quickly with Vezzeryn.

"You look worried," Sarah commented as they walked along. The hospital Seth had chosen was not far; they were walking there.

"It makes me uncomfortable that I don't know where Firona is," Vezzeryn admitted. "And I don't much care for being stuck in my human form. It feels very weak and fragile." Sarah tried to remember to not be offended; a human body _was_ quite weak and fragile compared to what he was used to.

"Yeah, well, I'm used to weak and fragile," Sarah smirked. "And I'm feeling stronger than I ever have in my life. So we'll be fine."

"I like your confidence, Sarah," Vezzeryn grinned. It looked slightly dragonish even with his human face.

"I like how you call me Sarah," Sarah replied. "Everyone else refers to me as 'the human'."

"They have not learned the respect for other races," Vezzeryn replied. "I am guilty of pride myself, but I see no reason to disrespect other races."

"Well, at any rate, I appreciate it," Sarah said. "And I really do think this will go fine."

"I hope you're right," Vezzeryn replied.

They reached the hospital and found out which room Seth was in, quickly getting to him. He knew something was up when he saw them, but could not resist without rousing suspicion, which he of course didn't want to do, knowing Vezzeryn would make things worse for him if he made things difficult. He went along with them, mentally sneering at Sarah playing the part of the worried wife, knowing it was all an act.

"You're not going to take me," he growled quietly as they left (Seth on crutches for his ankle).

"You have no choice left, young one," Vezzeryn replied, his voice dangerous. "You have been caught. It will be easier for you if you come quietly."

"Not on your life, old man," Seth said. He went along on his crutches, knowing he currently had no choice; even if he tried to run, he wouldn't get far…but he did hope to think of something. "For the love of the gods, can't you heal this?"

"No," Vezzeryn said sharply.

"Shut up," Sarah added. "You deserved every bit of it."

"Shut up yourself, human," Seth sneered. "You didn't even have a clue what was happening until your stupid little 'friend' came along."

"And I'm damn glad he did," Sarah replied proudly, unwilling to let Seth intimidate her…at least not as Seth.

"I see they've managed to get rid of the bruises I gave you," Seth scoffed. "Fucking shame."

"Yeah, well, it is what it is," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you just shut your mouth and make this easier for all of us?"

"Why don't you just go the hell away and make it easier for all of us?"

"You don't want me to go away," Sarah laughed coldly. "You want Vezzeryn to go away. You can't get your power back without me."

"Yeah, but he's not going to leave, and you're more annoying than useful at the moment."

"What a shame," Sarah mocked, rolling her eyes. They had reached the house now and started up the front walk. Sarah could see Jareth watching out the window.

"You brought everyone?" Seth said, annoyed. Now he didn't know how he was going to get out of this.

"Of course," Vezzeryn replied. "Why wouldn't we?"

"But Firona-" he was cut off by something slamming into him, throwing him to the ground. Firona was on top of him, accompanied by Eraeth's human form, and a split second later, they had disappeared – taking Sarah with them.

"No!" Jareth screamed as he saw Sarah disappear before his eyes, running out of the house. "What happened, Vezzeryn? Where did they go?" Jareth felt frantic. How could this have happened? She was in his sight!

"I would wager they've gone back to the Underground," Vezzeryn said dryly. "Let's go!" he bellowed toward the house so that everyone inside would hear. He was in shock that Eraeth and Firona would have betrayed them. "To the Hall of the High Council!"

They all appeared at the Hall a moment later and Jareth was going crazy. "Where did they go, Vezzeryn? Where can we find them? We must find them!"

"You cannot panic, Jareth!" Vezzeryn said sharply. "You must calm yourself; you will do Sarah no favors if you are out of your mind."

"You're right," Jareth said, trying to take a deep breath, though it didn't help him much. "Please. Where do we look?"

"I believe it likely that they will have gone to either Firona's or Eraeth's domain," Vezzeryn replied. "We will check Firona's first."

"Let's get there, then!" Jareth said, immediately leaving, the others following closely behind him.

"Firona!" Jareth bellowed as he reappeared, facing Firona's home. He looked around and listened carefully; there was no sign whatsoever of life there, and the two dragons, at least, ought to be quickly visible.

As the others appeared around him, he saw the same realization on their faces.

"We'll go to Eraeth's mountain," Vezzeryn said, trying to remain calm. Jareth was again the first to disappear.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sarah yelled as she appeared on a snowy mountainside along with Firona, Eraeth, and the great blue dragon she knew to be Maldonek.

"Getting rid of you!" Firona screeched back. "You disgusting, vile human-"

"This is your _home_, Firona!" Sarah cried. "What were you thinking?" She knew Jareth had been suspicious of the fae, but did she really risk the destruction of her world?

"That it doesn't matter!" Firona cackled. "When Maldonek succeeds, I will be spared! I assisted him!"

"Barely," Maldonek replied, his deep, loud voice shocking to Sarah, who was used to his human voice.

"I got you back here, didn't I?" Firona asked, annoyed.

"Once again, barely," Maldonek sneered. "And without Eraeth's assistance, you wouldn't have done so."

"So what?" Firona asked. "It doesn't matter! It took both of us, so I helped, too. And he wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't gotten to him first!"

"Indeed," Maldonek said, a terrifying grin splitting his dragon snout now. "However…I don't believe there is much useful about you anymore."

"What?" Firona screeched, backing away in terror. Sarah looked on, not sure what to do, knowing she didn't really have a chance against a fae plus two dragons anyway. "You wouldn't dare do anything to me, dragon!"

"Of course I would," Maldonek laughed. "Did you already forget why I was imprisoned the way I was? I didn't realize you fae were as stupid as you are useless."

"That's enough!" Firona said, quite hysterical now. "You cannot beat me, Maldonek," she cried. "You cannot do anything to me!"

Maldonek and Eraeth both laughed this time, though Eraeth had still said nothing, happy to simply watch. Maldonek reached down and grabbed Firona in his dark blue claw, raising her up to his eye level while she screamed and struggled. Sarah was frozen now, watching in horror.

"Release me!" Firona cried, terrified. She conjured a crystal, though her moves were not as graceful as Jareth's. She threw it at Maldonek, who merely laughed again; it appeared the crystal hadn't had much of an effect.

"You brought me here, fae," he sneered. "Surely you understand how much simpler magic is to perform in the Underground for magical beings. You alone will not be able to harm me."

"I helped you!" Firona cried, sobbing in desperation now. "I helped you! Please, spare me!"

"I have no reason to do so," Maldonek said, unconcerned.

Without warning, he bent his long neck and clasped his jaws around Firona's head. There was a terrible ripping sound and suddenly, Firona was in two pieces. Sarah fought the urge to throw up; she'd never seen anything so violent. Maldonek spit out the top half of the fae with a jet of flame, sending the flaming piece of her flying into the distance. He flung the other half of her carelessly down the mountain.

Eraeth was still content to sit and watch while Sarah was still fighting the need to vomit. She had never witnessed anything more horrifying in her entire life, and the raw power Maldonek displayed told her she had no chance on her own.

"And now it's your turn, little human," Maldonek cackled.

"Not on your life," Sarah growled, sounding a lot braver than she felt. He reached for her and she pulled out her knife, stabbing it into his claw with as much force as she could manage when he got close enough. He howled in surprise and pain and stumbled backward, realizing as he did so that his ankle was still broken as he stumbled and fell. Eraeth roared in rage, lunging for Sarah.

"Don't you dare!" Maldonek cried, attempting to get back up. He had landed on his wings, his tail off to the side, so it was difficult for him. "She is mine!" Eraeth stopped, looking annoyed. "You will pay for that, human," Maldonek said angrily. "I will tear you slowly limb from limb and let you feel every precious moment as your stupid fae lover watches."

"Take him!" Jareth's voice cried as he, Vezzeryn, and Namir appeared around the two dragons and Sarah. Sarah didn't know where the elves were. "Take them both!"

His arms were around Sarah in an instant. He saw her hand shaking around her knife, the blade shining with silvery blood – she had apparently used it on one of the dragons already.

"Are you alright?" he asked urgently, unwilling to let go of her. He was nearly shaking in relief at finding her alive.

"Yes," Sarah said, though she sounded ill. "I'm fine."

Nearby, Namir was viciously fighting Eraeth, Vezzeryn attempting to attack Maldonek. Maldonek, however, had returned to his feet, his wings helping him keep balance despite his injury, and was fighting back quite well.

"Sarah…hide," Jareth commanded, his voice full of fear. "Hide behind those rocks. I will get you when this is over."

"Not a chance, O Goblin King," Sarah replied, full of adrenaline. "I'm not going anywhere without you. If you're fighting, so am I."

"Sarah, be reasonable!" Jareth bellowed. She could hardly defend herself against so many powerful magical beings! Why wouldn't she just listen?

"I am being reasonable!" Sarah bellowed back. "I'm going to do whatever I can, I'm in this too! Now quit wasting time and let's help them, for god's sake!"

Eraeth had clearly wounded Namir now, who was bleeding silver on the snowy mountainside, unable to get up, though Sarah saw he was still breathing. Eraeth focused now on Jareth, who began fighting with magic, hurling crystals at the dragon with a focus and dexterity Sarah could have barely imagined. Eraeth shot fire at Jareth but he dodged it easily, throwing another crystal at him. So far, the crystals hadn't seemed to affect Eraeth very much; he bellowed in pain a few times, but was far from being incapacitated. Sarah wondered what they were supposed to do.

Sarah knew she couldn't do much with her little knife, but knew she had to do whatever she could, and what she could manage was stabbing the dragons while they were distracted fighting. She ran forward, intending to stab Maldonek, but he gave Vezzeryn a particularly hard shove and lunged for Sarah before she was ready, grabbing her.

"No!" Jareth cried, distracted, as Vezzeryn struggled back up. Sarah could see Vezzeryn was also injured, though not as bad as Namir seemed to be, and looked weakened. She stabbed every inch of Maldonek she could reach from being clutched in his claw, but though he howled in pain, he didn't drop her. Silver drops of blood covered her and dropped to the ground. She was high enough up now that she feared a fall could kill her. If anything, he squeezed her more tightly; she was finding it slightly difficult to breathe now, and was sure he cracked a rib, judging by the pain radiating through her body.

Eraeth took advantage of Jareth's momentary distraction and breathed fire at him again, burning right through the side of his shirt and leaving a large, angry burn on Jareth's shoulder. Jareth cried out in pain, clutching his shoulder. Vezzeryn righted himself, facing Maldonek again.

"Let her go," Vezzeryn commanded, his voice deep. Jareth and Eraeth even stopped their fight to watch – Jareth in horror, Eraeth in elation.

"No," Maldonek said viciously. "Did you know there's another way for me to get her power, Jareth?" he asked, glancing at the fae. "Yes. When I am in my true form, as Eraeth and the other fae were kind enough to help me achieve…I can simply _taste_ her. All I need is her blood."

"She has to be alive, Maldonek!" Jareth called, his voice full of pain and terror. He knew the dragon was right, but he also knew that Sarah had to still be alive for that to work. As long as he didn't kill her, maybe there was hope.

"No matter," Maldonek cackled. "I overpowered her as a human; I still overpower her. It is no trouble." He brought his face close to Sarah who screamed loudly in terror.

"Jareth!" she screamed, knowing he couldn't do anything. Jareth was horrified; he couldn't think how to possibly help her. He was going to lose her, he couldn't protect her even as she screamed for his aid. Maldonek closed his eyes, breathing deeply, apparently enjoying his taunting.

"She smells delicious, fae," he taunted. "It's a shame you won't get a taste, too." Eyes still closed, he inhaled again.

In that moment while Maldonek couldn't see him, Vezzeryn launched his entire body at Maldonek, catching him by surprise so that he again stumbled backward. Vezzeryn performed a spell that made Sarah glow white-hot, causing Maldonek to drop her in pain though she wasn't harmed by it. She tumbled to the ground, feeling her arm snap with the impact. She managed not to black out, but just barely.

Jareth tried to run to her, but Eraeth grabbed him and pulled him back, now focusing on the fight again. Jareth shot another crystal at him; it looked to Sarah as though it took a massive effort. This one appeared to stun the dragon; he looked shocked for a moment before beginning to fall. As he moved, he made one last huge effort to reach out his claw. He grabbed Jareth's amulet and flung it to the ground, several yards away from where the two were before landing on his side. Jareth howled in pain as a bright red mark from the dragon's claw appeared across his burned shoulder; Eraeth had cut him on the already sensitive area. Jareth was doing his best not to pass out. Eraeth didn't move again.

"Jareth!" Sarah cried desperately, struggling to her feet and stumbling toward him. He had collapsed after the amulet was torn away, and she saw that he was badly burned along with the long scratch from the dragon's claw. "Where is it? Where did it go?"

"He threw it…" Jareth said weakly. The spell he'd used to kill Eraeth was an incredibly powerful one; he had only used it once before in his life, and it had led to the incident that damaged his eye. It had taken most of his strength, and losing the amulet right after had left him weak, not to mention the pain stabbing through his body.

"I'll find it," Sarah said, practically sobbing. Jareth couldn't even keep his eyes open between the loss of his strength and the pain in his shoulder and chest. He flung his arm over the wound in his chest, attempting to keep the blood loss from killing him, but wasn't able to do much. Fortunately, the dragon had been far enough away that the wound didn't go very deep, so it wasn't so urgent.

Sarah struggled to find the amulet, but she hadn't seen where it had fallen; with the ground covered in snow, it was difficult, and with the pain in her arm and her ribs, it was nearly impossible.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The next thing she knew, a dragon howled in pained rage, and she looked over in alarm. Vezzeryn had fallen, silver blood leaking onto the snow, and Maldonek was standing over him and looking triumphant.

"NO!" Sarah shouted in horrified disbelief.

"Sarah," Vezzeryn said, his voice quite weak. "I am sorry. I tried to keep you safe." He looked mournful.

"I know," Sarah choked, not wanting to believe that this was the end of Vezzeryn. "Thank you." Vezzeryn went quiet; she knew he was gone.

"How damned touching," Maldonek mocked. Sarah didn't know what to do. Jareth was lying there, powerless without his amulet, which she couldn't find. Namir seemed to still be breathing but was either unable or unwilling to help. The elves were still nowhere to be seen.

Maldonek advanced on her, and she scrambled back to Jareth's side as best she could manage; the pain in her arm and ribcage was absolutely killing her. If she was going to have to fight on her own, though, she was going to do it with a sword, not the useless little thing in her hand.

"He can't protect you," Maldonek laughed as he saw her joining Jareth. "He is as good as dead."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'll have to protect him then," Sarah said fiercely, tears streaming down her face; the pain in her arm, the loss of Vezzeryn, the concern for Jareth all overwhelming her. She grabbed the sword from its sheath on Jareth's hip, holding it in her good arm; she almost succumbed to the pain in her ribs, but forced herself to push past it.

"You're quite brave for a stupid little human," Maldonek sneered. He reached for her again, but she swung the sword at him, crying out in pain as she moved. Inexpert though her swing was, it landed where she meant; to her surprise, it sliced right through the dragon's arm, cutting the claw clean off. She realized it must have some magic in it. Maldonek roared.

"Come closer and I'll do it again!" Sarah cried, rage filling her body.

She knew she still didn't have a chance, but by god, she was going down fighting. Maldonek advanced on them again, this time leaning down toward Jareth. Sarah tried to bring the sword up to swing again at his neck, but it was heavy and she was a stupid, weak human, like everyone kept telling her, and injured on top of it. She felt defeated for a moment, but as soon as she saw Maldonek's jaws near Jareth's face, adrenaline coursed through her, and she was determined she would save Jareth, whatever it took.

She hauled the sword up and swung it; it glanced off Maldonek's neck but distracted him enough to pull away from Jareth slightly. In that moment, Sarah stumbled forward, holding the sword high. She swung again; the sword sliced off a few scales that fell to the snowy ground along with more silver blood. Maldonek seemed to be beyond words now; his roars of pain and anger were echoing all around them.

"You…will…not…hurt…him!" Sarah gasped. "You…will…not…hurt…me…any…more!" She swung the sword again; it stabbed through Maldonek's leg this time, and he roared in pain. He lowered his head slowly, intent on simply swallowing her this time and determined that the fae would watch.

"His heart, Sarah," Jareth moaned, sounding as though it cost him greatly simply to speak. "Get his heart."

"I can't!" Sarah cried; she simply couldn't reach. Jareth managed the strength to reach over and grab her injured arm; it hurt, but she felt power course through her, and though she didn't understand it, she knew how to use it. She aimed as best she could and threw the sword high, fully expecting it to fall to the snow the next moment.

Her aim was true. The sword sliced through Maldonek's chest, straight into his heart. He roared louder than ever as he fell back with the force of the sword, and a moment later, he moved no more. The mountainside was covered with silver blood; three dragons lay dead upon it, a fourth severely injured.

"Thank you," Sarah sobbed, clutching at Jareth's hand with her good one. He squeezed her hand feebly. "I'll find the amulet. Don't worry." She stumbled around the ground, the pain in her arm and ribs making it nearly impossible for her to stay conscious, only managing through sheer force of will. She finally found it, several feet from where she'd been looking before, right as the elves showed up.

"What…" Glaedya said, staring around in wide-eyed astonishment.

"Is he dead?" Eindar asked, his eyes as wide as Glaedya's.

"Yes," Sarah whimpered, and Al'denel focused on her.

"What happened?" Al'denel asked, coming over to her.

"Awful," Sarah sobbed. "Awful. I need…Jareth...amulet…" she said, unable to make sense as she stumbled back toward him. Al'denel grabbed her good arm and helped her over to Jareth.

"Thank you," she choked. She placed the amulet back on Jareth's chest, unable to fasten it around his neck as the cord was broken, but doing her best to avoid the burn and wound across his chest, still bleeding, though not terribly. She immediately saw him become more conscious.

"Sarah," he breathed, no longer sounding quite so weak. "Sarah. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, tears still streaming down her face. "Are you?"

"Yes," Jareth said quietly. "Very weak. But alive."

"Good," Sarah said.

"I hate to interrupt this touching moment," Al'denel said impatiently, "but will someone explain what happened? We couldn't get up here, and we heard fighting…"

"Everyone's dead," Sarah said. Knowing that Jareth was currently alright, she felt somewhat calmer, and more able to speak. "Except maybe Namir," she added, glancing toward him. "I don't know if he's still alive or not. If he is, he's hurt." Glaedya and Eindar went to him immediately. "And Jareth's bleeding," Sarah added, choking out the words. "Can you…"

"Yes," Al'denel said quickly. "Here." He knelt next to Jareth and performed a strange sort of spell that stopped the bleeding, though it didn't actually heal the wound. "That's the best I can do…but he won't lose any more blood."

"Thank you," Sarah breathed. Jareth grunted in an attempt to say the same.

"Vezzeryn?" Al'denel asked, holding his breath.

"Yes," Sarah said, and another tear leaked out of her eye. "He saved me."

"Damn it!" Al'denel said, enraged. "You come here and give us this threat and you end up-"

"Enough, Al'denel," Jareth spoke up softly. "Not the time."

"Fine," Al'denel bit out. "Fine. Whatever. Why could we not get through here?"

"I believe," Jareth said, his breathing labored, "that Eraeth will have made his mountain inaccessible to other races. Firona, however, had already been brought through, breaking the fae restriction."

"Damn it," Al'denel said again, though much of the anger had gone out of him.

"Al'denel…I must ask you to return Sarah and myself to my kingdom," Jareth said. "I am currently incapable of doing so." Al'denel looked annoyed for a second, but then his expression softened. He seemed to have decided something.

"Yes, Jareth," Al'denel said. "I will attend to Namir with the others first; I will need their assistance. I cannot send you both back by myself."

"The sword," Sarah said weakly. Al'denel looked at her. "I killed Maldonek with the sword. Please get it for me."

"_You_ killed Maldonek?" Al'denel said, his eyes widening with shock.

"Jareth…I think he helped…somehow," Sarah said, not sure how to describe it. "But I did it with the sword. Please bring it back."

"Alright," Al'denel said, still shocked as he got up. He went over to Maldonek's body and saw the sword's hilt protruding from the dragon's chest. She had buried it deeply in there. He noticed Maldonek was missing an arm as well. He pulled the sword out easily and returned it to Sarah, who awkwardly shoved it back into its sheath.

"Thank you," she whispered, falling to the ground next to Jareth. Jareth still didn't have the energy to so much as sit up, and she faced him as best she could. "What happened to your shoulder?"

"Eraeth burned me, and his claw caught me as he grabbed the amulet," Jareth said, wincing. "It isn't important. Veraina will take care of it."

"Here," Sarah said quietly, using her good arm to scoop snow up from the ground next to them and placing it on the burned area of his shoulder. He hissed at the cold, but it soon felt soothing. She wanted to wipe the blood off his chest, but she couldn't move any more.

Sarah barely felt the cold, to her surprise. Her body was already dealing with so much else from the adrenaline and the pain of the broken bones, she assumed it simply couldn't handle more.

"Thank you," Jareth breathed. He knew he was only still conscious because he was strong enough to will himself to remain so, but even that strength was diminishing.

"Does it help?" Sarah asked tearfully.

"Yes," Jareth said. "Very much." She collapsed fully to the ground next to him now, unable to hold herself up anymore, the pain overcoming her.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Al'denel went over to the others, finding that Namir was indeed still alive, though seriously injured.

"I apologize, Al'denel," Namir breathed, barely able to speak. "More assistance was required than I thought."

"Yes, well, it doesn't matter now," Al'denel said. "Where can we take you?"

"If you will simply let me use a bit of your power," Namir said, "I can make it back to my kingdom. I will be taken care of there."

"Of course," Al'denel said, though Eindar glanced at him uneasily. "You heard him," he snapped at his companions. They each placed their hands upon the giant body, lending their magic to the dragon. A moment later, he had disappeared.

"What led you to wish to cooperate with a dragon?" Eindar asked when Namir had gone.

"Look around you, Eindar," Al'denel said harshly. "Clearly, we ought to rethink our stance on other races. Vezzeryn, even, is dead. Sarah, the human, is the one who killed Maldonek; think about it," he said more softly. "She essentially saved us all."

"We could have gotten Maldonek if we had been able to get up here," Glaedya said, sounding annoyed.

"No, we couldn't have," Al'denel said bluntly. "The human…Sarah," he corrected himself quickly, determined to use her name properly, "was lucky. She had a magical sword. Without the use of that…"

"We have magic!" Glaedya argued.

"So do the fae. So do the dragons. You see one of each of them are still alive." Glaedya and Eindar didn't know what to say to that. "Come. We need to get Jareth back to his kingdom. Then we shall go check that Namir is being cared for."

"Of course," Eindar said quietly. They went over to Jareth and Sarah, lying next to each other on the snowy mountainside, not even the energy to speak. Everything seemed to be covered in the silvery blood of the dragons now, a little of the red of Jareth's own blood mixed in.

"Jareth," Al'denel said as they reached the two. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Jareth replied, his voice terribly weak. "Al'denel…" he broke off.

"What is it?" Al'denel asked, coming nearer.

"You must get the scales," Jareth breathed. Sarah said nothing; Jareth wondered if she was still conscious.

"Excuse me?" Al'denel asked, confused.

"The dragon's scales. They are powerful. Retrieve them; Namir will take care of them."

"Ah. Yes, of course," Al'denel said, nodding at the other two who went to get the scales from the dragons. "Anything else?"

"I…do not know what happened to Firona," Jareth said, his eyes closed. "Attempt to find her amulet…"

"Dead," Sarah grunted, her voice thick. She was unable to move much, but she looked up at Al'denel as she spoke. "Maldonek ripped her apart." She felt Jareth shudder next to her.

"No matter," Jareth breathed. "Her amulet will not have any power with her death, then."

"We've got them, Al'denel," Eindar said as he and Glaedya returned to the group.

"All three?" Jareth asked.

"Two," Glaedya replied. "Maldonek's was destroyed after Sarah gave it to us, remember?"

"Ah, yes," Jareth replied breathlessly. "Fine. Please return us to my castle."

"Yes, Jareth," Al'denel replied. "Eindar…are you up to transporting the girl - Sarah?"

"Yes," Eindar replied, walking toward her.

"No," Jareth said, as sharply as he was able. "Together."

"We cannot transport you together," Al'denel explained, trying to be soothing. "Eindar will take Sarah; Glaedya and I will take you."

"Eindar…" Jareth breathed, trying to sound severe. "If you harm her…"

"I won't," Eindar said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "She will be right there with you. You have my word."

"See that she is," Jareth groaned. He was so weak it almost hurt to try to speak.

"Don't worry, Jareth," Sarah said softly, reaching over with her good arm and patting his hand.

"We'll transport you to the very front of the castle," Al'denel said. "Let's go." Eindar picked Sarah up so he could grip her better, and she cried out.

"Sarah!" Jareth said, attempting to sit up but failing. "What happened?"

"It's just my arm, and my ribs," Sarah said, fresh tears of pain springing to her eyes. "Don't worry, Jareth."

"I'm sorry," Eindar said quietly; he had not meant to hurt her.

"It's fine," Sarah replied. "Let's just go."

"Come on then," Al'denel said as he and Glaedya both gripped one of Jareth's arms, supporting him the best they could. A moment later they were gone, and Eindar followed quickly.

They all appeared a moment later at the front of Jareth's castle.

"Go inside, find one of my goblins, and tell them to lead you to my healer, Veraina. Inform her that we are out here."

"Alright," Al'denel said, getting up immediately and quickly walking into the castle. Eindar gently set Sarah down on the ground next to Jareth.

"Thank you, Eindar," Sarah said softly.

"You're welcome…Sarah," Eindar said. It felt strange to address her as such, but he knew after what they had just seen that Al'denel was right.

"We will need to have a meeting," Glaedya said. "We are missing several from our Council now."

"We will," Jareth said. "Once I am rested and Namir is healed."

"Naturally," Eindar said. "You think he will heal?"

"I cannot know," Jareth said. "I don't know how badly he was injured. I only know he was fighting Eraeth."

"Did he kill Eraeth?"

"No," Sarah spoke up. "Jareth did."

"You…how?" Glaedya asked in amazement.

"I will explain everything later," Jareth breathed. "Please."

"Apologies," Glaedya said, inclining her head to him. "We will wait." Al'denel appeared then, Veraina hurrying along behind him.

"Dear gods," Veraina gasped upon seeing them.

"We are alright, Veraina," Jareth said quietly. "Al'denel," he added.

"Yes?" Al'denel replied.

"Thank you very much for your assistance. It was invaluable."

"Of course," Al'denel said. "Do you need anything else?"

"No," Jareth assured him. "Go check on Namir. I will contact you when I am able to meet with you."

"Alright," Al'denel said. "We will see you soon." He and the other two left quickly.

"What has happened? What do I need to do?" Veraina asked, kneeling next to them.

"Sarah first," Jareth breathed. "I am not badly injured, only weakened."

"His shoulder," Sarah choked. "He was burned. And the blood…"

"I see that," Veraina said quietly. "I have a salve for the burn, don't worry. I'll get it in a minute." She reached over to Jareth's chest. "It isn't bleeding anymore."

"Al'denel took care of it," Jareth said. "It is fine. It will heal."

"I'll get a potion for it," Veraina assured him. "What about you?" she asked, turning to Sarah.

"My arm's broken," Sarah said, her voice full of pain as she motioned to it with her good arm. "And I think at least one of my ribs is broken."

"Here," Veraina said, moving to Sarah's other side and placing her hands on the injured arm. Sarah cried out again at the pressure, and Jareth felt his heart twist at the sound. A moment later, however, it was healed. Sarah flexed her fingers and moved her arm around a little after Veraina let go of her, amazed that it felt normal, if still thoroughly painful.

"It still hurts," she whimpered.

"I know," Veraina said softly. "I'm sorry. I will give you a potion for the pain once we get you settled upstairs. Let me take a look at your ribs." Sarah helped Veraina ease her shirt up, and Veraina placed her hands on Sarah's ribcage. A moment later, Sarah felt that heal as well.

"Thank you," Sarah breathed.

"Anything else?" Veraina asked, and Sarah shook her head.

"No. That's all. But Jareth…"

"I'm fine," Jareth replied quickly. "I need to rest." Veraina rolled her eyes and smiled slightly.

"Sarah, can you stand?" Veraina asked.

"Yeah," Sarah said, getting to her feet. She was still in a lot of pain, but with the bones no longer actually broken, it was easier to handle.

"Help me get him upstairs," Veraina said, bending over to lift Jareth up. Sarah helped her, struggling a bit under the weight. Jareth's amulet fell to the floor, not having been secured around his neck, and he would have collapsed again if not for the two supporting him.

"Dammit," Sarah said in frustration. "Can you hold him?"

"Yes," Veraina said, supporting all of Jareth's weight. Jareth was unable even to speak; without the chill of the snow, the pain in his burned shoulder had returned full force, somehow making the slash across his chest sting more, too. Sarah quickly bent down and grabbed the amulet, clutching it tightly in her hand and grabbing Jareth's arm again. Together, Sarah and Veraina slowly got Jareth up the stairs, letting him collapse onto the bed. He groaned and fell back, unable to sit up.

"Thanks, Veraina," Sarah panted.

"I'll be right back," Veraina said. "I'll go get my potions." She hurried out of the room.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Sarah crawled onto the bed next to Jareth and slipped one end of the necklace underneath his neck, pulling it up so she could tie it in place around his neck, careful not to irritate the burn on his shoulder or the scratch on his chest. It wasn't beautiful or anything, but she thought it was better than nothing. He stirred slightly when she finished. She undid the belt around his waist holding the sword in place as well, tossing it to the ground.

"Any better?" Sarah asked, her voice shaking.

"A little," Jareth replied, his voice barely audible. "Thank you, my Sarah."

"Of course," Sarah replied with a slight smile. She helped him sit up enough to take off what was left of his shirt before helping him lay back down properly, his head on the pillows and the blanket pulled down. Before pulling them up, Sarah moved to his feet to untie his boots.

"You don't need to do that," Jareth said softly, aware that she was still in pain. "Rest, my Sarah."

"Shut up," Sarah said with a tiny smile. "Let me take care of you. Don't you want to be comfortable?" Jareth did nothing but sigh softly, so she continued undoing his boots, pulling them off gently.

"Thank you," he breathed out.

"Of course," she said. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"No," Jareth said. "This is fine." Then she spotted his gloves and gently tugged them off as well, having forgotten about them. "You don't listen."

"No," Sarah smiled. "I don't." She pulled the blankets up over him now, stopping at his waist, and he sighed, sounding pleased. At that moment, Veraina came back in carrying a small bag and a bowl with a cloth, followed by a couple goblins bearing trays of bread, cheese, and water.

"I didn't think you had lunch," Veraina said as the goblins set the tray down.

"No," Sarah answered. "Thank you very much."

"Here," Veraina added, handing Sarah the bag of potions. "The yellow ones are a pain potion for each of you, the red one is a restorative draft for His Majesty. The tub of white paste is for his burn, the blue dropper bottle is for the wound on his chest." Veraina knew from experience it was difficult to heal the king, as he was so stubborn and fought so much about it, but she assumed Sarah would have an easier time of it.

"Thanks," Sarah said. She opened one of the yellow bottles and downed it immediately. "Ew," she said. "That's disgusting."

"Well, the most helpful potions don't always taste the best," Veraina said with a smirk. "Put that salve on his shoulder, eat. Make him take his potions, heal his wound, and I brought this to clean him up a little," she added, setting the bowl and cloth on the night table, and Sarah saw it was full of water. "Then both of you get some rest. I'll check to see if I should send dinner up this evening."

"Thank you so much," Sarah said. She felt good as new again, at least physically, and easily able to handle taking care of Jareth.

"Anytime. Let me know if you need me," Veraina said before leaving with the goblins.

"Here," Sarah said, holding up the other yellow bottle and opening it before handing it to Jareth. "Take this."

"I don't need a pain potion," Jareth said, though his voice was laced with pain. "Just put the potion and salve on."

"She's right, you are stubborn," Sarah said, rolling her eyes as she closed the bottle back, setting it on the night table; she would fight him about it later.

She took the blue bottle with a dropper in it and squeezed some of the liquid onto the scratch across his chest; it began to heal it instantly, though Jareth cried out in pain from it.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said quickly, choking up; she didn't want to hurt him. "I'm sorry, I'm almost done."

"I know," Jareth said tightly. He had no idea how long his strength would continue to let him stay conscious, but he felt it slipping away now that the adrenaline from the danger was gone. Finally it stopped stinging, and Sarah replaced the cap on the bottle.

She took the little tub of salve next and opened it, gathering a generous amount of it on her fingers and rubbing it over the large burn. It covered his shoulder and part of his arm, down over his chest as well, the scratch from the dragon claw having cut into it slightly.

It hurt him at first, too, but soon her fingers felt soothing rather than painful as she put the healing salve on him, and he relaxed into her touch. He knew the salve would work quickly and the burn would be healed within a few hours.

She replaced the cap on that, still not speaking, and grabbed the bowl of water and the cloth, gently dabbing the blood from his chest. His eyes were closed, and she didn't know if he'd already fallen asleep.

"Are you hungry?" Sarah asked Jareth gently after she finished, laying the cloth back in the bowl on the night table. Jareth nodded.

"Ravenous," Jareth said. "But I fear I lack the energy even to eat."

"Then take this," Sarah said, holding up the red potion bottle. "It'll help."

"Alright," Jareth sighed. He reached for it but his hands were shaking so much he couldn't even open it.

"I've got it," Sarah said, taking it back and opening it. She helped him sit up slightly and tipped the bottle into his mouth.

"I detest being taken care of like a child," Jareth said, annoyed, though he did feel more alert.

"Well, too bad," Sarah smiled. "You need to rest and I'm going to take care of you, so get used to it."

"If it were anyone but you," Jareth said, shaking his head. He felt much steadier already, and strong enough to sit up and eat. "Thank you," he said softly.

"No need to thank me," Sarah said. "It's what anyone would do."

"No," Jareth said. "It takes a very special kind of person to do everything you've done, my Sarah."

"I didn't do much," Sarah said, blushing and looking away as she took a bite of bread.

"Sarah," Jareth said, reaching out to her and placing a hand on her cheek, turning her face to him. "You saved my life. You saved us all." The reality of it was hitting him harder now. "You were incredible."

"I didn't have a choice, Jareth," Sarah said quietly, and Jareth saw tears in her eyes. "It was the only thing I could do."

"I should have protected you better," Jareth said, and his voice sounded broken. "I'm sorry."

"Don't," Sarah said fiercely. "Don't you dare. You did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough," Jareth said, annoyed with himself.

"It was everything," Sarah said softly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "Give yourself credit. Maybe I threw the sword and killed him, but if it hadn't been for you and…whatever you did, I couldn't have done it. What did you do, anyway?"

"I pushed my power into you," Jareth said. "I gave you as much as I could, as much as I had left."

"Oh," Sarah said. She didn't know what else to say to that. He had given her everything. What it might have cost him… "Thank you," she said quietly.

"I didn't have a choice, either, my Sarah," Jareth answered. She moved her hand up to his that was still on her cheek and squeezed it softly, moving it around to her lips to kiss it before lowering it.

"Let's eat," she said. "We can talk later." They ate chunks of bread and cheese in silence for a few minutes.

"You truly were amazing, you know," Jareth said finally. "Even without magic, you kept yourself alive…you fought a dragon and won."

"Barely," Sarah said. "It wasn't very much like the storybooks. Wasn't I supposed to charge at him, swing the sword gracefully, and cut off his head before standing proudly on top of him for all to admire?" she added with a snort.

"Stories don't get much right," Jareth smirked. "It isn't nearly as easy as they would have you believe."

"No kidding," Sarah said. "Still. I don't exactly feel proud and heroic or anything."

"You do not have to be proud," Jareth said. "But however you feel, you were quite heroic. Nothing changes that." Sarah finished the chunk of bread she'd been eating and swallowed a gulp of water.

"I'm no hero," she said quietly. "Vezzeryn died because of me."

"Sarah, you can't blame yourself for anything that happened today," Jareth said firmly. "Vezzeryn was in control of his own actions, not you."

"But I liked him," Sarah said, a tear trailing down her cheek. "He was the only one who would call me Sarah."

"He was a great dragon," Jareth agreed. "That still doesn't make it your fault."

"That doesn't make me feel any better about it," Sarah said with a sniffle.

"I know," Jareth said gently. "It's alright."

"I know I should feel good about killing Maldonek," Sarah said, her voice breaking. "But…I never thought I would kill anything. Or anyone. I…I'm not a killer. Except I am now," she choked.

"Oh, Sarah," Jareth said gently, reaching for her. "You had to defend yourself. He would have killed you without a thought."

"I know," Sarah said tearfully. "That doesn't make me feel better."

"I'm sorry," Jareth said sincerely. He was sounding weaker by the moment, despite the food. Sarah quickly moved the tray off the bed, feeling the sheath of the knife in her pocket and pulling it out while she was standing.

"Oh no," she said.

"What's the matter?" Jareth asked in alarm.

"The knife," Sarah said hopelessly. "I must have dropped it."

"Ah," Jareth said, closing his eyes and sinking back into his pillows. "It is not important."

"But it was yours," Sarah said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Jareth assured her. "I can get another one. You are irreplaceable, and you, thankfully, are here. That is what is important."

"Are you sure?" Sara asked, sounding sad.

"Very," Jareth assured her. "Please. Come lie down with me. Rest."

"Okay," Sarah said. She wasn't up to changing, so she just took off her jeans so she'd be more comfortable, crawling into bed with Jareth in just her t-shirt and underwear. He struggled to hold an arm out to her, and she quickly lay her head down on the uninjured side of his chest, trying to calm herself. It was like an entirely different world, being held by Jareth, curled up against him; everything felt more bearable.

"Just rest, my Sarah," Jareth whispered against her head. "We are fine now."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Jareth woke up several hours later to find Sarah thrashing around the bed next to him, sobbing in her sleep and whimpering the word "no".

"Sarah," Jareth said, shaking her shoulder. Some of his strength had returned already. "My Sarah…wake up," he said. She finally woke up, choking out another sob and looking around wildly.

"No," she said brokenly, unsure what was even going on. "Jareth?"

"Yes, sweet Sarah," he said gently. "I'm here."

"You…he had you, though," Sarah said, now feeling confused.

"You were having a nightmare," Jareth said, placing a soothing hand on her arm. "Everything is fine. I am here; no one has me but you."

"Oh, Jareth," Sarah said, burying her face in his shoulder and breaking into renewed cries. Though she had managed to separate her dream from reality now, the images from her dream were still horrifying.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Jareth asked, rubbing her back gently.

"Maldonek," she choked. "Today…on the mountain…he bit Firona…he ripped her in half. He threw the pieces of her away." She felt like throwing up again. "It was terrible."

"I'm so sorry you had to watch that," Jareth said, feeling rather horrified himself.

"In my dream it was you," Sarah said, her voice thick. "He did it to you." Jareth squeezed her tightly to him.

"It is all fine, my Sarah. I am here." She lay there on him for a while, reassuring herself that he was there with her and wholly alive. Finally she managed to calm back down.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice raw. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't apologize," Jareth said at once. "You've had quite a terrible week. It is to be expected."

"It hasn't been completely terrible," Sarah sniffled. "I got you again, didn't I?"

"The brightest spot in the past ten years," Jareth agreed. They lay quietly for a moment before he spoke again. "Would you like to go back to sleep?"

"No," Sarah said. "Not yet. I'm afraid I'd just go right back to the nightmare." She paused. "You can sleep, though, if you need to."

"I am doing fine, my Sarah," Jareth assured her. "As I said last time, being back in my own realm heals me quickly. Sleeping next to you doesn't hurt," he added with a slight smirk. Sarah snorted.

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter," Jareth said. Sarah tried to move away and sit up, but he wouldn't have it; he held her where she was.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," Veraina said as she opened the door. "And Sarah," she added with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're both awake. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, Veraina, thank you," Jareth said.

"I see your burn has healed, along with the scratch," Veraina commented, and Sarah raised up slightly to look, happy to see she was right; not a trace of it was left.

"Yes, thanks," Jareth said.

"And I also see there is a pain potion left on your night table," Veraina smirked. "I'll hazard a guess that it's yours, Your Majesty?" Sarah laughed and Jareth made a face.

"Yes, it's his," she said. "I couldn't make him take it."

"I'm not terribly surprised," she said, walking over to pick up the bottle. "I'll assume you don't need it now," she added.

"No," Jareth said. "And I didn't need it before. I am fine."

Veraina rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. "Are you feeling alright, Sarah?" she asked.

"Yeah…I'm fine, really," Sarah said. Veraina could tell she had been crying, but didn't ask.

"Good," Veraina grinned. "Would you like dinner brought up?"

"Sarah?" Jareth asked.

"I'm not really hungry yet," she answered.

"Me, either," Jareth agreed. "I will call one of my goblins when we would like to eat. Thank you, Veraina."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Enjoy your evening."

"Thanks," Sarah said as Veraina walked out. "She's awesome."

"Indeed," Jareth chuckled. "She is truly excellent. I enjoy having her in the castle with me." This made Sarah pause with another thought.

"Jareth?" she asked a minute later.

"Yes, my Sarah?" he asked with a smile. She hesitated; she knew she was about to sound insecure and didn't like it, but she had to ask.

"I was just…wondering. Wouldn't it be better…for you I mean…to be with someone like her?"

"What are you talking about?" Jareth asked, bewildered.

"I just mean…wouldn't you prefer another fae or something? I mean, she could have really helped you today...she has magic and everything…"

Then it clicked for Jareth. Sarah, his precious Sarah, thought she wasn't good enough for him. How could he explain to her how very perfect she was? How he longed for her, how the past week was the culmination of ten years of dreaming about having her by his side, how everything inside him had leapt upon hearing her say she loved him. How she was his perfect match and he had known it for ten years. How no one else could possibly come close to how perfect she was, with her big green eyes, no longer so innocent as they had been but honest and sharp nonetheless; with her kind heart, her fighting spirit, her courage. How to put that into words for her to understand him?

"Sarah, you are, and have been for ten years, everything to me. It is utterly impossible for me to even consider anyone else sharing my life this way. The ability, or lack thereof, to use magic is irrelevant. You are powerful; more specifically, you are _my_ source of power. That is worth infinitely more than any magic. I love you, my Sarah. Don't forget, you hold a piece of my heart now. Don't ever doubt yourself."

Sarah was silent as she took this all in. She could not doubt the sincerity in his voice. Hopefully, she could come to see herself the same way. In the meantime…

"I love you too, Jareth," Sarah said quietly, moving so she was propped up on one elbow, the other arm supporting herself on Jareth's chest. She stared at him for a moment, thinking.

How did she get so lucky? How did she deserve this? An adventure that had started when she was only a teenager…leading to this? She had thought about him every day after that night. At first the thoughts hadn't been so kind. Indeed, after she was kicked out for her belief in "those stupid stories", she hadn't been kind at all toward him. How could he have given her such a fantastical experience, only to have it ruin the life she had known? On her own, however, she had come to regard him more highly. At least he had shown her such a world. At least he had given her something. Then, after being with Seth, she clung to the hope that it was real, too afraid to attempt to summon her friends again in case it had really all been a long-ago dream. As her belief slowly diminished, however, she had nothing but her dreams to sustain her. And she had dreamed of him every night, every single night, whether she wanted to or not.

Then he had saved her. He had brought her back…he had confessed his love for her. She had finally started feeling like her old self again, the way she had been when she was fifteen. Magic was real, the world was real, and it was exciting and dangerous and the best she could imagine.

And Jareth. Oh, Jareth. He was truly all she needed. They were safe; they were together. Her old life was past, her past was slain. She had all the future to go, and she knew what she wanted for that future. What she needed for that future.

What she needed now.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"_My_ Jareth," she whispered emotionally, staring into his eyes as she leaned forward to kiss him. She put as much of herself into the kiss as she could manage.

Jareth groaned quietly at the feel of her lips on his. He kissed her back, reaching his hand up so he could grab the back of her head, holding it close to him as she reached out with her tongue, grazing it over his lips. She heard his sharp intake of breath as she flicked her tongue along his lower lip, so she moved slightly closer and sucked his lower lip between her teeth, nibbling it gently. He groaned more loudly at this, his hand gripping the back of her head tighter, pulling her even closer to him and pushing his tongue into her mouth, dancing with hers. It sent shivers down his body to be tasting her this way.

Sarah whimpered a little at the contact of their tongues. She took the hand that had been supporting her on Jareth's chest and reached it up to run it through his hair, catching his ear again. She was fascinated by the odd, pointed shape of it. It felt strange to her, but in a good way…different, and _sexy_. She felt Jareth groan as she traced the shape of it with her fingers, much as she had done the other night.

The sensation of her fingers lightly touching his ear was lighting a fire within him. He had never yet experienced anything more erotic. His breathing was fast and shallow now as he kissed her more deeply, stroking his hand over her air.

Encouraged by his reaction, Sarah lifted herself up, crawling over so she was on top of him, straddling his waist. Her face reddened slightly at the bold move, but she was determined. He gasped as she settled down against him, pulling away from her lips slightly and looking into her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Sarah asked breathlessly, searching his face with her eyes. "Do you not want to do this?"

"Trust me, my Sarah, I very much do," Jareth assured her. "However…I don't wish to take advantage of you."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, confused.

"I mean that your…relationship…with Maldonek was less than ideal," Jareth said, trying to keep his head clear; he didn't want to do anything to hurt Sarah, and he knew he had to keep himself under control.

"What does that have to do with this?" Sarah asked, worried now. Would he not want her because of her past?

"Only that I don't want to hurt you," Jareth said softly, stroking her hair again. "I know that he hurt you, that he used you. I want you to be sure that you're alright with this."

"You would never use me or hurt me," Sarah said simply, complete trust in her voice. "That's all I need to know."

"Of course not," Jareth whispered, his heart bursting at her words. "I don't want to push you, Sarah…"

"Stop worrying so much," Sarah teased. "Seriously. I'm fine. I mean it. Being with you…being here…it's like all of that was a bad dream. I want this. I want to…to be with you," she said, blushing. He grinned at her. In a way, she really was still so innocent.

"Oh, you precious thing," Jareth said, his voice low and husky. The phrase evoked a memory for her, the memory of facing Jareth in the room of stairs, where he had first sung those words to her. She stared at him for a moment more, struggling to remember.

"I thought you moved the stars for no one," Sarah finally breathed. "But you've turned my world upside down."

"And I have done it all for you," Jareth grinned, surprised she remembered so well.

"I think I appreciate it more this time," Sarah admitted. "Thank you for giving me everything I never understood I needed, Jareth," she said, lunging forward to capture his lips in a searing kiss again. This time he couldn't have pulled away if he wanted to.

Without realizing it, she began grinding her hips into him slightly as she kissed him, making him groan loudly, and she felt a bulge pressing into her. She realized what she was doing and blushed slightly, pulling away from his lips to look down at him. His eyes were dark with need, fiercely intense. Staring into her unsure eyes, he bucked his own hips slightly, loving the way her eyes closed and she inhaled in pleasure.

Only her panties and his tight pants separated them, and she was acutely aware of the heat between her legs. It had never been like this before for her, and she was reveling in the pleasure of being with him like she was. It was everything she'd always wanted, and nothing had really happened yet.

"Sarah," he said, his voice strained. She opened her eyes again and looked down at him.

"Yes," she said, answering his unspoken question. He growled and flipped her over, landing her on her back next to him. He turned onto his side so he was facing her, kissing her deeply again as his hand slid up under her t-shirt. She shivered as his fingers touched her skin, electricity flowing through her body at his touch. He raised himself up so he was kneeling next to her, pulling her t-shirt off over her head before flinging it to the ground.

This was the most he'd ever seen of her, and as she lay there in her bra and panties, he couldn't stop staring.

"You're gorgeous," Jareth breathed. Sarah blushed and smiled slightly.

"Thanks," she said.

"I don't understand this contraption around your chest, however," Jareth added, raising an eyebrow. Sarah laughed.

"It's just a bra," she said.

"Females here wear corsets," Jareth explained.

"Those are a lot more complicated than a bra," Sarah giggled, sitting up slightly. "Here." She reached behind her and unhooked it, sliding it off her arms before lying back.

"Ah," Jareth said, his voice almost a sigh. "Quite ingenious, then," he said. Her breasts were lovely, he thought. He didn't have a lot to compare to, but nonetheless.

"It hardly seems fair that you're still dressed, you know," Sarah said softly.

"Is that so?" Jareth smirked. "Do feel free to remedy that, my Sarah." He backed away from her and got off the bed, standing next to it patiently. She crawled toward him, her breasts swaying slightly with the motion, and he groaned. Honestly, he wanted to rip his clothes off, throw her to the bed, and take her right away…but he did want her take time to enjoy herself, too. Perhaps another time, he grinned inwardly.

"I will," Sarah said, standing up next to him. He couldn't help admiring her lovely body still.

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close for a kiss as she ran her hands up and over his well-defined chest. He groaned into her mouth at her touch on his bare skin, and she pulled back slightly to truly admire his body. He usually slept without his shirt, but she hadn't wanted to get caught staring, so she had tried hard to be furtive with her glances, but now she didn't have to. The expanse of his pale skin was broken only by the amulet on his chest. Sarah reached for it, holding it in her hand.

"Thank you for retrieving it for me," Jareth said softly, reaching his hands out to place them on her waist. She looked up at him.

"There was no other choice," she replied just as softly. "I'm glad I found it."

"As am I," Jareth said. He threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her face to his for a warm kiss.

She wrapped her arms back around him and ran her hands up and down his back slowly, feeling him shudder as she scratched her nails down his skin. She continued this move, running her fingernails gently up and down his back, for several moments. Finally, Jareth pulled away from their kiss and looked down at her.

"Sarah, you try my patience," he said, his voice nearly a growl. She grinned impishly up at him; she kind of enjoyed the effect she had on him.

"I'm so sorry, sire," she whispered, pressing her lips to his neck and gently trailing kisses down his chest. Jareth shuddered once again at the feeling her lips caused against his skin combined with hearing her call him 'sire' once more. She kept going as she reached his stomach, continuing her fluttering kisses across his skin there before reaching the waistband of his pants and kneeling in front of him.

She glanced up at him from beneath her eyelashes and saw him staring down at her incredulously. She reached her hands around him and grabbed the waistband of his pants in the back, gripping the front with her teeth. She slowly started pulling them down; she brushed against his much more noticeable bulge now and felt him shiver. She shuddered slightly herself at the anticipation. She continued all the way down his legs and he raised his feet alternately when she reached them so she could slide his pants off him.

Slowly she stood back up, running her hands over his bare skin all the way up, pointedly avoiding the bulge between his legs as she stood up fully, smiling sweetly at him. She could tell how much she had affected him; he was flushed and his breathing was shallow, his chest heaving slightly.

"Ah, my Sarah," Jareth breathed, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her closer to him. "I would think you've had experience with this before."

"Haven't I told you I dreamed about you?" Sarah said coyly, pressing her hands to his chest.

"And you did that in your dreams, did you?" Jareth asked, smirking.

"Probably one of the tamer things that happened in my dreams," Sarah said slyly, pressing herself against him. "Mmm," she said as she felt him press into her as well.

"Is that so?" Jareth asked, surprised. "I had no idea your dreams were so explicit, love."

Sarah grinned. "You called me love," she said.

"So I did," he grinned back. He hadn't even realized he'd said it, it felt so natural.

"Good," Sarah said. "I like it." She looked into his eyes as she trailed her hands around the waistband of his underwear, teasing him further.

"Ah," Jareth groaned. "Still so cruel, my Sarah."

"You have no idea," Sarah said, her voice more of a growl. She wanted him badly, and she was already tired of waiting. Emotionally charged from the day, from the entire week, she was finished teasing. She needed him, and that's all that mattered. She grabbed the waistband of Jareth's underwear, pulling them down all at once, making Jareth gasp in a breath, then bringing her hand back up to touch him, feeling him in her hand, stroking him gently. He was bigger than she expected, and it made her nervous, though quite excited. He groaned loudly.

"Don't forget, Sarah," Jareth said in a husky, barely-controlled whisper. "I can be cruel, too." He grabbed her and backed her up to the bed, making her fall as her legs hit it, falling on top of her and devouring her mouth. A moment later he moved, her helping to adjust them on the bed, and he crawled right back on top of her. He pressed himself between her legs, teasing her through the panties she was still wearing, and she groaned.

"Oh god, Jareth," she panted. "Please."

"As you wish, my Sarah," Jareth said, kissing her fiercely and again moving off her, kneeling between her legs. He pulled a crystal out of the air, dropping it on Sarah. She flinched, expecting it to hit her, but she felt nothing but a cool rush of air between her legs. She looked down and saw her panties were gone and looked up at Jareth, open-mouthed. He laughed at her surprise.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Sped things up," Jareth said, covering her body with his own and pressing up against her. He kissed her harshly, no longer patient enough to be gentle. He moved his lips, kissing the corner of her lips, along her chin and down her neck, back up again, over to her ear, nibbling her earlobe gently. She moaned at the pleasure of the feeling.

Sex was one thing…this was something else entirely. This was love.

Jareth reached up to run a hand across her breast, loving the soft, silken feel of it, loving the little gasp she gave as he touched her.

"Jareth," she breathed, her voice almost a whine.

"What is it, my precious Sarah?" Jareth asked, moving his hand back up to stroke her cheek.

"Please," she whimpered, begging him with her eyes. He couldn't resist her any longer. He adjusted himself between her legs, slipping himself between her folds, rubbing slowly up and down her slit as he stared into her passion-filled eyes. Feeling her wetness on him was driving him mad and he slid down again, finding her center and pushing himself into her, struggling to keep his eyes open to watch her face despite the pleasure he felt.

He eased himself inside her bit by bit. It seemed as though neither of them were breathing, their eyes locked, frozen in time but for the slow motion of his hips. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to them both, he was nestled inside her completely, pressed up against her. Each of them let out a breath at once, Jareth's a slight groan, Sarah's a small whimper.

Sarah was in awe. The feeling of him inside of her like this was almost more than she could bear; she felt so perfect, so complete. His size was slightly painful to her, but she couldn't make herself care. Seth had _hurt_; this, however, was perfect.

Jareth was surrounded by her wet heat, feeling more incredible than he could remember in his entire, and quite long, life. His dreams held absolutely no comparison to this reality, and he would never be apart from her again. He needed this for the rest of his life.

"My Sarah," he whispered roughly, leaning down to kiss her gently, though she quickly increased the intensity of the kiss. He hadn't moved yet, but the temptation to was overwhelming and finally he could not stay still inside her any longer. He pulled his lips away from hers, looking into her eyes again as he slowly pulled out of her. She gasped at the sensation, closing her eyes in pleasure. He thrust into her again and she bucked her hips up to meet him, opening her eyes again and reaching her hands up to tangle her fingers in his hair, pulling his head down to hers to kiss him again.

The air filled with Sarah's panting cries and Jareth's moans of pleasure. Sarah leaned up and kissed his neck, tracing her tongue down his chest and making him shudder. She placed a kiss over his heart before returning to his lips and he lay down against her again as he thrust into her, the amulet pressed against each of them. Every second Jareth felt stronger; he knew the amulet was absorbing the intense emotion between them and passing it on to him.

"That feels so strange," Sarah gasped suddenly.

"What?" Jareth asked, startled.

"I feel…I don't know," Sarah said, unsure how to explain and in any case, quite distracted from her use of vocabulary by the sensations Jareth was sending through her as they connected, and another new feeling she didn't quite know how to describe.

"What is it, Sarah?" Jareth asked, stilling inside of her. "Is something wrong?"

"No…I don't think so…" Sarah breathed. "I can't explain. Please…don't stop," she added, begging. Jareth thrust into her again, though gently.

"Are you alright?" he asked roughly, the feeling of her around him making it difficult for him to think straight.

"Yes," Sarah groaned. "I feel…powerful."

"Hang on," Jareth said, stilling again. "Where is this feeling?"

"Here," Sarah said, placing her hand near the spot where the amulet was touching her.

"It is sharing my power with you as well?" Jareth asked, wholly surprised. His only knowledge of the amulet was the little he had been told and whatever he experienced; he had heard of nothing like this.

"It must be," Sarah said. "It's so strong."

"Incredible," Jareth breathed in amazement, moving again now that he was sure he wasn't hurting her. Their passion built further, working them both into a frenzy. Jareth was breathing hard now, determined to give Sarah her pleasure before taking his own. He felt her remove one hand from his hair and move it between them. Realizing what she was doing, he quickly moved his own hand down to where hers was, pushing it aside with a gentle kiss to her lips.

"What?" Sarah asked, confused.

"Let me," Jareth said. "I want to please you, my Sarah."

"You are," Sarah assured him. "I've never felt so incredible."

Jareth was elated to hear her say so, and he quickly found the sensitive spot at the top of her slit, rubbing it gently.

"Oh, god!" Sarah panted, whimpering loudly. "Oh…Jareth…yes…"

"Enjoy it, Sarah," Jareth said softly in her ear, continuing to stroke her as he thrust into her. She was writing beneath him now. "You are amazing, my beautiful, sweet, precious Sarah. I want your pleasure."

"Yes," Sarah was panting now, almost incoherent. "Oh…oh…I'm going to…oh…yes, my Jareth, yes, please!" she yelled, bucking against him in her passion. He thrust into her more forcefully, the words 'my Jareth' pushing him over the edge as he drove into her with his now-uncontrollable need. She screamed her pleasure as he grunted out his own, spilling himself inside of her.

"My Sarah," he cried hoarsely before he pulled his hand from between them, collapsing on top of her.

They lay there panting for several moments before Jareth felt Sarah shaking.

"What is it, my love?" Jareth asked softly, forcing himself up on his forearms to look at her. He was surprised to see tears on her cheeks. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright," Sarah said, choking slightly on the words. "I'm perfect, Jareth."

"Then why are you crying?" he asked, bending his head to kiss her eyes.

"I can't help it," Sarah whispered. "Thank you."

"Whatever for?" Jareth asked, stroking her hair back from her face.

"For making me feel like I'm worth it," Sarah said softly. Jareth held her to him, burying his face in her hair.

"You are worth it, my Sarah," Jareth whispered. "You are very much worth it." He held her that way for a while longer before sliding himself out of her, falling over beside her while keeping his arm around her. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you, too," Sarah said, turning to him and smiling. She rolled onto her side so she was facing him, no longer crying. "Nothing I dreamed about was ever that good," she informed him. Jareth laughed.

"I can agree with that," he said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "My sweet Sarah," he said softly. "Will you allow me to keep you here forever?"

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Sarah replied, pressing her lips to his.


	33. Epilogue

Epilogue

Two months later…

After Namir healed, the Council held an important meeting. With Vezzeryn, the head of the Council, dead, they had to figure out a new head. Al'denel ended up with the honor; he wanted Jareth to do it, but Jareth didn't want to take the time out of his life from his own kingdom, and Al'denel didn't have a kingdom of his own to rule over.

Al'denel had been changed by the battle with Maldonek even though he hadn't been a part of it. Everything that had happened had greatly changed his view of the world around him, and Jareth accepted his sincerity. He felt that Al'denel would do a fine job as head of the Council.

Al'denel had even formally recognized Sarah's involvement, going so far as to suggest adding her as a member of the High Council itself. He was quickly reminded by the remaining members, however, that a non-magical being could not be on the council, as the use of magic was often required. Sarah thanked him all the same, and was pleased to note that they all referred to her as Sarah now. Al'denel did, however, inform her that she was welcome to accompany Jareth anytime there was a meeting.

There were no immediate replacements for the ones they had lost from the council; they were simply smaller in number until someone suitable came along.

Namir had destroyed the scales of the dragons who had died so they couldn't be misused in any way. Even he, so disdainful of Sarah before, had warmed up to her.

With no more trips Aboveground (and regular time alone with Sarah, of course) Jareth was more or less back to normal. He was at full strength, of course, but he had been in such a pleasant mood with Sarah's return that it was ridiculous to call him "normal". Not that this was directly observable; he was still quite as horrible to his subjects as he had always been before meeting Sarah the first time, but his happiness was evident now; he did not even threaten the Bog very much anymore.

Sarah had gotten to work with Veraina, learning quickly and enjoying the time spent with her friend. She felt a lot more comfortable now that she was earning her own money in a meaningful way. When she wasn't working with Veraina or spending time with Jareth, she sought out her friends from the Labyrinth, spending afternoons with them as well. It was a better life than she had ever dreamt possible for herself, and she knew she was the luckiest woman in the world – Aboveground or Underground.

This evening, a ball had been planned. Jareth wished to throw it in honor of Al'denel for becoming the new head of the High Council, but was also secretly throwing it for Sarah. Ever since being pulled into her dream when she had run the Labyrinth, he had wanted to truly dance with her…and to end with the kiss he so desired this time.

When they were next alone after he had announced the ball a few weeks before, Sarah had asked him about that very night.

"What happened, anyway?" she asked. "Was that all real?"

"In a manner of speaking," Jareth said. "It happened inside your head; however, as the creator of the dream crystal, I saw it, too."

"What do you mean, you 'saw' it?" Sarah asked, confused.

"I mean that I created the crystal to show you your dreams," Jareth informed her. "I didn't know what they were; it was meant to look into your heart and see what you desired, then manifest that desire for you to watch as though you were living it. However, the vision, as it were, came to me as well; I was quite surprised, as I had not expected to be part of it."

"Oh," she said. She had dreamed of that particular part of her trip to the Underground more than any other over the years. "So that was all my creation."

"Indeed," Jareth said. "I admit it quite confused me at the time; you clearly desired me, but then changed your mind when it seemed you were going to get what you wanted."

"I was fifteen," Sarah reminded him again. "I didn't realize I was in over my head."

"I realize that now," Jareth smiled at her. "But if you only knew how crazy you made me then," he added with a laugh.

"I _am_ sorry, you know," she said, though she smiled too. "I really didn't intend to make you crazy."

"I know, my Sarah," Jareth grinned before kissing her.

"What about the song?" she asked after that. "Did I come up with that as well?"

"You remember that?" Jareth asked.

"I remember every detail," Sarah said softly. Jareth smiled at her.

"No," he said finally. "That was my own addition. Once I was pulled into viewing the vision, I made that a part of it."

"And you wrote it yourself?"

"Yes," Jareth said softly, looking into her eyes. "I wrote every word for you, my Sarah." She kissed him back, leading to a rather passionate evening for the two of them.

After his explanation, Sarah had come to be rather excited about the ball taking place. The only member of the High Council not attending was Namir; dragons, being more solitary, didn't generally attend such festivities, Jareth had explained.

Finally, the night had come. Jareth had ordered a dress to be made for her, and Veraina (who was, of course, also attending the ball) had offered to help her get ready. Sarah walked down to Veraina's room that afternoon with the garment bag that held her dress draped over her arm, a shoebox in her other arm.

Two hours later, Sarah was ready to wow at the ball. Jareth had promised to come 'pick her up' from Veraina's rooms at seven-thirty, and Sarah was standing ready for him when he arrived.

His eyes grew wide as he stepped into the room and saw her. She was perfect. He'd had a golden yellow ball gown made for her with shoulder straps draping to the side, a fitted bodice, and a full skirt, and given her coordinating yellow shoes and gloves that came just past her elbows. Veraina had put a little makeup on her and fixed her hair so half of it was up in a bun, the rest of it flowing down her back with a slight wave to it. She was wearing golden earrings that she had purchased earlier in the week with her new wages, accenting the rest of it perfectly.

"You are utterly gorgeous," Jareth said, stepping toward her and bringing her hand to his lips with a slight bow. "Perfection captured in physical form."

"Don't be silly," Sarah said as she blushed, but she smiled, pleased. "You look really nice yourself," she added.

Jareth was in a deep blue jacket, quite like the one she remembered from her ballroom dream, though without the jewels, she noted, and not quite so long or shiny. It flowed easily into black pants, as fitted as his usual ones (much to Sarah's delight). His ruffled shirt was white as it had been then as well, and he wore white gloves on his own hands. She noticed his hair was streaked with blue again as well, and smiled at it.

"Thank you, my Sarah," Jareth said. He kept her hand in his own and pulled her toward the door. "Let us give Veraina her room back, shall we?"

"Of course," Sarah grinned. "Thank you so much for everything, Veraina!" she added. "I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Sarah," Veraina grinned back. "Have a great time tonight."

"You, too," Sarah said as she and Jareth left the room. Sarah shut Veraina's door behind her and then Jareth quickly pulled her to him for a kiss.

"You are truly too beautiful for words," Jareth informed her as they pulled apart. She smiled.

"Thank you," Sarah said. "So…should we go?"

"In a moment," Jareth said. "I wanted to give you something first."

"Jareth!" she chided. "You've already given me the dress and everything. You don't have to keep buying me stuff."

"If it makes you feel better," Jareth teased, "this is something that I have had for a very long time; not something I purchased." He held out a somewhat large velvet box to her. "It belonged to my mother. I would like you to have it, and to wear it tonight, if you wish." Sarah opened the case and gasped. Inside was an opulent necklace, diamonds glittering in between strands of gold forming a small leaf-like pattern.

"Oh my gosh, Jareth," she said quietly. "This is beautiful."

"Then it is perfect for you," he smiled. He held his hand out for the box. "May I?" She handed the box back to him and he took the necklace out of it, fastening it around her neck.

"I feel like a princess," she said quietly. Jareth grinned inwardly at that; he wondered what she would think of being a queen instead. He'd soon find out.

"You look more divine than even the most beautiful princess, my precious Sarah," Jareth said sincerely, kissing her softly. He conjured a crystal and easily sent the box back to his room before holding his arm out to Sarah. She took it and walked with him toward the ballroom.

She truly did feel like a princess, being escorted by her handsome prince to the ball. Except, she reminded herself, he was a king, not a prince. _Even better_, she thought with a grin.

The ball was going well. Dinner was enjoyable, and Sarah had been surprised to realize she wasn't even that bad at dancing. She suspected some of it was Jareth's own skill not allowing her to mess up, but even as she granted Al'denel a dance, she wasn't half bad. After dancing with him she returned to Jareth at the high table, who looked less than happy.

"What's the matter?" Sarah asked.

"I didn't like you dancing with him," Jareth said, his eyes flashing slightly. Sarah was surprised.

"I thought you liked him," Sarah protested.

"I don't like to share," Jareth informed her. Sarah laughed.

"Oh, come on, _that_ made you jealous?" she asked in disbelief.

"I am not _jealous_," Jareth said, disgruntled, as he took Sarah's hand.

"Uh huh," Sarah said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, if you're not jealous, then you're overly possessive, and we're going to have a problem," she added. Jareth huffed.

"Fine. I was jealous. Are you satisfied?"

"Hardly," Sarah snorted. "You can't get jealous of me dancing with someone else at an event like this, you know. It's only polite of me."

"That doesn't mean I have to like another man having his hands on you," Jareth said defensively. Sarah laughed again.

"Oh please," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "Don't be silly, Jareth. No one else is going to put the moves on me. And anyway, _you're_ the only one I'm interested in," she reminded him.

"Is that so," Jareth said, a grin crossing his face at this. "Well, I suppose that might help. A little."

"You are hopeless," Sarah giggled.

"Perhaps," Jareth said as the music changed. "But perhaps I am simply hope_ful_," he added. He held a hand out to her as he stood up. "May I have this dance, my lady?"

"Of course, sire," Sarah grinned, knowing how much he liked it when she used that term for him. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet, pulling her into him as well and kissing her gently. She smiled up at him. "Hopeless," she repeated.

He laughed and led her onto the dance floor. She finally recognized the song and looked up at him with wide eyes. He took her hand in his, placing his other hand around her waist. Almost as though in a dream, her arm floated up to his shoulder as he began to lead her around the floor.

"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes," he sang softly to her with the music. She stared up at him in awe, much like she had done in her dream with him. He held her tightly, staring into her eyes as he whirled her around the dance floor.

Everyone had moved aside to give them room; they were the only ones dancing now, while the rest of the guests looked on.

"But I'll be there for you as the world falls down," Jareth sang, his voice still soft, eyes still locked onto hers.

She felt tears in her eyes at the perfection of the moment, wishing she could hold onto it forever.

"I'll paint you mornings of gold, I'll spin you valentine evenings," Jareth continued, meaning every word; anything she wished, he would make it happen.

"Falling in love," Jareth finished, barely whispering the last bit as he stopped moving her. His eyes had not moved from hers, and he slowly leaned down to kiss her. To his slight surprise, she raised up on her toes to kiss him, meeting him halfway, too impatient to wait. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, reveling in the feeling.

A few moments later, the murmurs of the crowd broke through their minds, previously clouded by one another, and Sarah blushed deeply as she realized everyone was watching them. Jareth realized it, too, and glared around at them all, clearing his throat. Everyone quickly went back to their conversations, ceasing their staring, as Sarah buried her face in Jareth's shoulder. He grinned and patted her back gently.

"Come, my Sarah," he said softly, placing a hand on her back and leading her from the ballroom. A few watched them go, but none followed.

"I can't believe I did that in front of everyone," Sarah muttered, her cheeks flaming.

"Don't worry," Jareth laughed. "They've seen much worse. They'll have forgotten it by morning. At any rate, was it that terrible?"

"Well, no," Sarah admitted with a small grin. "But still."

"I'm rather fond of the idea of everyone knowing exactly how we feel about one another," Jareth smirked. "I believe that made it quite clear."

"Yeah, I'd say so," Sarah laughed. "Okay, you have a point. It wasn't that bad. I still didn't like everyone staring."

"They shouldn't have been," Jareth said. "But no matter. Shall we go for a walk?" he asked, nodding toward the castle door. Sarah nodded, feeling a little shy somehow.

Jareth led her out the door and to the grounds, heading toward his gardens. They walked silently, content with one another's company, the moon shining down on them.

"This place really is beautiful," Sarah said at one point, stopping. The moonlight was shining down over the Labyrinth, and with the castle situated above it all, it was spread out before them like a picture.

"I am truly touched that you like it so well," Jareth said quietly as he stopped with her. The moonlight shining on her hair, catching the bit of sparkle in her dress, left one with the impression that she was glowing. Jareth turned to face her, grabbing both of her hands in his now. "It is nothing in comparison to the beauty right before me, however," he whispered, staring into her green eyes. He loved how she blushed when he complimented her.

"Thanks," Sarah said shyly.

"My Sarah," Jareth said finally, "I would like to ask you something."

"Okay," Sarah said, cocking her head in interest.

"I have been in love with you for over ten years," he began quietly. "I knew it when you ran my Labyrinth, though I was unable to do anything about it until recently."

"I was in love with you, too, you know," Sarah said, just as quietly. "Just because I didn't understand doesn't make it less real."

"I know," Jareth smiled. "Nevertheless. Ten years I have loved you; several weeks I have had you back by my side. You saved my kingdom, you saved my home, and you saved my life." Sarah was silent as she listened to his heartfelt speech. "You are so much more than you think you are. You have done amazing things, and most importantly, to me anyway, you have made my life infinitely better." He paused and took a deep breath, steeling himself for the next part. He wasn't _entirely_ convinced of her answer, but went on with it anyway. "My sweet Sarah," he whispered, lowering himself onto one knee and staring up at her, her hands still in his, her eyes widening in realization. "I want you by my side, forever, as my queen. Will you marry me?" he asked, letting go of one of her hands and producing a crystal in the same movement that quickly changed into a gold ring, set with a moonstone surrounded by tiny diamonds.

"Oh my god," Sarah choked, tears in her eyes. "Yes, of course I will, Jareth," she said, her voice breaking. "Of course." Jareth grinned widely and stood up, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. He pulled away from her to see a wide smile on her face, though her eyes still sparkled with tears. He took her left hand in both of his own, pulling the glove off her arm and sliding the ring on her finger, fitting it perfectly to her.

"Thank you," Jareth said, his voice full of emotion. "I love you, my Sarah; I will love you forever."

"Only forever?" Sarah asked in a whisper, half-smiling at him. "But that's not long at all." And with that, she launched herself into his arms, kissing him with all the passion she possessed.

He truly had given her her dreams, she thought. Everything she had ever dared dream for, and even things she hadn't thought to dream for. Every bit of it had come true. That night, underneath a crystal moon, she had everything she would ever want.


End file.
